You already know “The Last of Us” is good TV. (We honestly don't know what we’ll do without Joel and Ellie until next season.) But did you know this show also offers life lessons for college students? Yes, we are totally giving you an excuse to rewatch it. (And if you haven't seen it yet — like maybe you’ve been living in Bill’s bunker? — catch up before you read this post. There will be spoilers.) As we recover from the finale, let’s dive in to these 5 Life Lessons for College Students from “The Last of Us.”
In HBO’s “The Last of Us,” based on the popular video game, hardened survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) takes 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on a cross-country journey to save humanity. It’s kind of like a buddy comedy, but with fewer jokes and more fungus zombies. You are guaranteed to cry at the end of 50% of the episodes.
Episode three teaches us important lessons, like how much we can cry from a Ron Swanson rendition of “Long, Long Time” (a lot, it turns out!) and how to create a sense of home. This romantic bottle episode follows gruff survivalist Bill (Nick Offerman) and sweet artist Frank (Murray Bartlett), who transform their deserted neighborhood into a cozy sanctuary. “Paying attention to things is how we show love,” Frank says, convincing Bill to let him paint the neighborhood. This is good advice, especially for college students.
Moving into your new place — whether on or off campus — is a big life change. At times, you may feel like Bill, charging delightedly into Home Depot to stock up on DIY supplies. But it's also normal to feel overwhelmed or lonely. How do you make this new space your own? How do you feel at home? Start by paying attention to details.
Once you fix up your digs, it’s time to explore your surroundings. “Home” is bigger than just your dorm or apartment, as Frank understands. Even though he doesn't have any neighbors, he fixes up the entire block, repainting the wine shop, furniture store, and boutique. Then he builds community by inviting the “nice lady on the radio” for lunch (more on that later). Make yourself a campus bucket list and identify:
Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) know how to make a cozy home, even in a fungus-infected world. Photo courtesy of HBO.
Joel is great at most things. Fighting fungus zombies. Looking ruggedly handsome (where does he find time to shape that beautiful beard?). Explaining how things work, Apocalypse Dad style. But what Joel isn't so great at is coping with his feelings. Ever since his daughter's death, he has refused to let himself process grief. When his situationship-partner dies, he won't even speak of her. (“If I'm taking you with me,” he tells Ellie, “there’s some rules you gotta follow. Rule one, you don’t bring up Tess, ever.”). But when Ellie comes into his life, Joel has a choice: To love and risk loss, or to remain an emotional zombie forever (see what we did there). The show isn’t truly about a fungus apocalypse. It's about Joel’s inner journey and the choices he makes.
We may not have suffered the same trauma as Joel, who carries multiple tragedies on his muscular shoulders. But we all experience difficult feelings: anxiety, grief, loneliness, confusion, heartbreak, anger, panic, lack of energy, and more. Plus, we've all gone through our own version of a (non-fungus) pandemic.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of anxiety and depression among college students have increased substantially,” says this Mayo Clinic article. “A recent study found that one in three college students experiences significant depression and anxiety.” If you’re feeling down, you aren’t alone. But unlike Joel, it's important to be honest — with yourself and others — about how you feel.
Joel (Pedro Pascal) isn't afraid of anything — not even cabbage-head zombies! — until he meets Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Now he's terrified that something bad will happen to her. Who else will tell him terrible puns? Photo courtesy of HBO.
Poor Joel travels across a zombie-filled America to find his brother, Tommy, who stopped responding to his radio messages. When he finally reunites with Tommy, he discovers his brother has been living in an end times version of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Inside Tommy’s new town, everything looks kind of like a ski resort. Children build snowmen. Snowcapped mountains stand guard over the festive town square. People eat pumpkin pie instead of mystery meat jerky. Joel, who has been living in a musty quarantine zone, is hurt. Tommy is nervous because rough-and-ready Joel just doesn’t belong in a Hallmark Christmas movie. All of this could have been avoided if the brothers had been better at long distance communication.
Like Tommy, you probably don’t want your relatives showing up unexpectedly at your dorm room. And like Joel, you probably don't want to lose valuable relationships back home. Here’s how to keep in touch and set some boundaries with your loved ones:
Joel (Pedro Pascal) doesn't understand why his brother (Gabriel Luna) ghosted him. Meanwhile, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is just thrilled to find herself in this pumpkin pie utopia. Photo courtesy of HBO.
“The Last of Us” is different than other zombie shows because it encourages trust and collaboration. It rewards the protagonists for helping other people. If Bill hadn't invited Frank in for lunch — even though he definitely was not running an Arby's — he wouldn't have met the love of his life.
When you first start college, you might feel, like Bill, that “there are no friends to be had.” It's normal to feel lonely at first or to worry about fitting in. But like Bill, you've got to step outside your comfort zone and reach out to other people — both to help them and to start building your own friend group. How do you do this? If you live in the world of “The Last of Us,” you make friends with the first guy you’ve seen in four years, who conveniently fell into your booby-trap. In college, it’s not quite that straightforward, but it’s also a lot more fun.
Tess (Anna Torv) takes a risk by helping Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who appears strangely unaffected by a zombie bite. Photo courtesy of HBO.
You'd think that living in the post-apocalyptic landscape of “The Last of Us” would kill any sense of wonder. But the show is permeated with Ellie’s childlike awe, which makes even a fungus-consumed Boston look beautiful. It turns out that Ellie is onto something.
Wonder is one of the most important emotions: it can be defined as what we feel “when we encounter something powerful that we can't easily explain,” like a star-filled night sky or an act of kindness, according to this Harvard Business Review article. When you look at that starry sky, you feel part of something bigger than yourself, which can help you feel less stressed and boost your sense of well-being. How do we tap into this emotion?
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is enchanted by a carousel, which is part of a Mall Wonders tour with her best friend Riley (Storm Reid). Photo courtesy of HBO.
Life won't be the same without the weekly adrenaline surge of “The Last of Us,” but while we wait for season two, we can have our own adventures. (With less zombies!) Your adventure starts by enrolling in a college that helps you pursue your dreams (whether you want to be a singer like Joel or an astronaut like Ellie). Reach out to the Office of Admissions online to find out how we can help you achieve your goals.
In the season finale, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) near the end of their journey and witness a rare moment of beauty — a herd of giraffes roaming the city ruins. Photo courtesy of HBO.