In “Stanford in the Media,” Emma Muller ’28 explores the portrayals and accuracy of Stanford University and Stanford affiliates depicted across books, movies, musicals and other forms of media.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
In high school, my sister and I shared a staple movie series: “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” Whenever one of us had a rough week, we’d binge-watch the trilogy, which follows the high school relationship between sweet introvert Lara Jean Covey and popular jock Peter Kavinsky. Now that I’m at Stanford, I have a new appreciation for the third film — “To All the Boys: Always and Forever” — which focuses on Lara Jean and Peter’s senior year and their goal of attending Stanford together.
At the start of the film, Peter is recruited to Stanford’s Division 1 (D1) lacrosse team on an athletic scholarship. In reality, Stanford only has a club men’s lacrosse team (there is, however, a D1 women’s lacrosse team). After having just reviewed “High School Musical 3,” it felt ironic to see a movie start with the athlete of the couple getting in before the brainiac.
While Lara Jean has not heard from Stanford yet, both she and Peter are certain that she will get in. In fact, Lara Jean is so certain of this outcome that when she opens her Stanford application portal, she imagines a rosy vision of the future: her and Peter going to Stanford, moving into their dorm together, getting married and buying a house.
But when decision day comes, Lara Jean is rejected. Heartbroken, she sees a reversal of the life she had imagined from herself play out. This flash-forward scene is focused on Peter, but it powerfully represents the power that college decisions have on people’s perception of their own future. One seemingly small admissions letter, shorter than a page and universalized to all rejected applicants, causes many applicants’ visions of the future to crumble to dust.
In a painful example of miscommunication, Lara Jean texts Peter that she got in. Peter shows up in his car covered in Stanford stickers and with a speaker, then takes her out for food where he tells the waitress that his girlfriend got into Stanford.
Though Lara Jean is visibly mortified, she waits for days to tell Peter that she didn’t get into Stanford. Her acceptance to UC Berkeley softens the blow — she immediately decides to attend Berkeley so she can be close to Stanford and her relationship with Peter is secure.
However, during a visit to New York University (NYU), Lara Jean falls in love with the city and the school. Notably, NYU has a strong writing program — perfect for an aspiring author. She tells her sister all about NYU after the visit, which reminded me of the conversations I had with my younger sister after I visited colleges in California I was considering applying to. Somehow, she always knew me better than myself and helped me figure out the schools that were a good fit.
In a tense conversation with Peter, Lara Jean breaks the news that she does not want to attend Berkeley and will be choosing NYU instead. The two decide to break up because Peter believes that Lara Jean has chosen distance over him — an accusation I found unfair, considering that he is also unwilling to change his college decision for Lara Jean. Lara Jean is heartbroken, but stays committed to NYU.
Luckily, Peter comes to realize the error of his ways. In a sweet romantic gesture, he goes to Lara Jean’s house with a love letter and apologizes, reaffirming to her that he loves her more than any distance and that he’s supportive of her following her dreams.
In this scene, “To All the Boys: Always and Forever” shows that college decisions shouldn’t be based on proximity to a high school partner, and that if a relationship is true, it can withstand any distance. Lara Jean’s decision to attend NYU over Berkeley demonstrates that even when you don’t get into your first choice, it’s entirely possible to attend a college that aligns with your dreams.
Even if it initially cost her relationship with Peter, I think Lara Jean was rightfully excited to choose NYU. Her relationship with Peter is important, but choosing where to go to college based on a high school romance is a recipe for disaster. Sure, if Lara Jean hated UC Berkeley, she may have still had Peter. But their relationship easily could have soured, given Peter would be happily attending his dream school while Lara Jean would be stuck at a university she didn’t even want in the first place.
“To All the Boys: Always and Forever” powerfully depicts that even if you have the grades, getting into Stanford is never a guarantee. The factors that influence admissions officers are complicated and varied. In certain situations, a star athlete like Peter, can be prized in certain situations over a stellar academic like Lara Jean. You can be assured of your academic excellence, and still not receive a coveted acceptance letter to a selective institution.
Lara Jean’s rejection from Stanford and decision to attend NYU presents a unique yet universal view of Stanford: while all of us on campus received Stanford acceptances, that’s an experience only 3.6% of applicants to the Class of 2028 shared. “To All the Boys: Always and Forever” is a heartwarming film that presents this more realistic view of the Stanford application and decision process.
