It’s hard to sum up the college experience — a time that is often filled with so much change and self-discovery — into just one theme or lesson. My time at Fordham has brought so many new experiences and moments filled with excitement, stress and curiosity. But one thing has remained constant throughout my journey: the friends I made along the way. “Sex Lives of College Girls” perfectly represents the unbreakable bonds that are formed in the early days of college throughout all of the adjustments, mistakes and hardships.

The series follows four suitemates as they navigate friendships, sexuality and their first tastes of freedom during their first semester at Essex College, a fictional school in Vermont. As an elite, small, liberal arts college, Essex fosters an environment filled with cliques, elitism and questionable influences. Although the girls seem to come from drastically different backgrounds, they demonstrate solidarity in the challenges that they face.

“Sex Lives of College Girls” reimagines the typical popularity centric cliches we’re used to in school-setting dramas like “Gossip Girl” and “Pretty Little Liars” with Leighton’s storyline. An affluent legacy student from a New York City prep school, Leighton is harboring a deep secret that she spends the first few weeks desperately trying to conceal. 

At first glance, it seems like fitting in should be much easier for Leighton than her humble suitemate, Kimberly; however, the fourth episode reveals that Leighton struggles to get comfortable in her top-tier sorority despite her stereotypical look. Eventually, after making a desperate attempt to suppress her sexuality by dating a boy in her brother Nico’s elite fraternity, she comes to terms with the fact that she is a lesbian for the first time in her life. This reality is terrifying to her as she fears it could completely change her life and the reputation she is supposed to uphold.  She spends the rest of the series struggling to navigate self-acceptance, finally admitting the truth out loud to Kimberly at the end of the series after her breakup with Alicia, her secret girlfriend.

Whitney, a star soccer recruit and the daughter of a senator, is also hiding a massive secret. The first episode introduces her illicit affair with her assistant coach which gradually declines as the series unfolds. Despite both of their best efforts to keep their relationship under wraps, the coach’s wife eventually finds out. Whitney is forced to come clean to her teammates, head coach and mother, facing her fear of being punished or shunned despite the fact that she was the victim of a toxic power dynamic. 

When Whitney reveals this to her suitemates, they are quick to comfort her as Bela had recently been through something similar. An aspiring comedy writer, Bela had made tremendous efforts to be on The Catullan, Essex’s renowned comedy magazine. When she started to gain success and recognition from her fellow writers, she was slut-shamed because of her actions at a party at the beginning of the semester. She continued to work hard at her comedy writing and was eventually “tapped by the Catullan.” 

However, in a later episode, she is assaulted by one of the editors. Then, she discovered that he assaulted the only other new female writer. After confiding in Leighton at Nico’s surprise birthday party, she feels empowered to explore her options in taking action against her assailant.

Leighton also comes to Kimberly’s rescue when she finds out that Nico had been secretly seeing Kimberly and cheating on his long-distance girlfriend. Knowing how deeply this hurt Kimberly, a shy, naive girl from the midwest, Leighton stands up to her brother and tells his girlfriend, Maya, about the affair.

Tackling female sexuality from four varied perspectives, Mindy Kaling’s newest show gives a very refreshing look into this pivotal point in young adult life. Instead of using sexuality to pin girls against each other, “Sex Lives of College Girls” utilizes this theme as an avenue to explore the complexities of female friendships.

The HBO Max series was renewed for a second season, and I am so excited to see how these characters grow as I continue my own journey through college.