You’ve seen the ivy-covered brick. You’ve seen the moody, mist-drenched Vermont mornings. If you’ve spent any time scrolling through Netflix lately, specifically bingeing The Sex Lives of College Girls (which, yes, originally aired on Max but has found a massive second life on Netflix in many regions), you’ve probably searched for fictional vermont college on netflix to see if you can actually apply there.
It’s called Essex College.
But here’s the thing: Essex doesn’t exist. It’s a phantom. A clever construction of New England tropes designed to make you want to wear an oversized sweater and carry a stack of philosophy books through a courtyard. Honestly, the "Vermont college" vibe is a whole aesthetic at this point. People are obsessed with it because it taps into that Dark Academia craving—the idea that learning happens in wood-paneled libraries and that your biggest problem is a secret society or a complicated crush on a TA.
Why Essex College Feels So Real
The show’s creator, Mindy Kaling, didn't just pull the setting out of thin air. She’s an alumna of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. If you look at Essex, you're basically looking at a spiritual twin of the Ivy League experience. It captures that specific isolation. Vermont, in the cultural imagination, is the land of Ben & Jerry's, Bernie Sanders, and elite liberal arts schools where tuition costs more than a starter home.
We see the characters navigate a landscape that feels lived-in. Why? Because the production didn't just build a set in a parking lot in Burbank. To get that fictional vermont college on netflix look right, they actually filmed at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Vassar is the "body double" for Essex.
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The architecture is authentic. Those gothic buildings? Real. The sprawling lawns? Real. When you see Kimberly or Bela walking to class, they are walking through a campus that was founded in 1861. This is why the show bypasses that "cheap sitcom" feel. It breathes. You can almost smell the damp leaves and expensive espresso.
The Vermont Liberal Arts Mythos
Vermont is the undisputed king of the "small, elite, slightly eccentric" college vibe. Think about the real-world counterparts that inspired this fictional world. You have Middlebury. You have Bennington. You have UVM.
Middlebury is often cited as the primary blueprint for these kinds of shows. It’s prestigious. It’s freezing. It’s tucked away in a town that looks like a Christmas card. When writers want to signal that a character is smart but perhaps a bit sheltered—or coming from a world of immense privilege—they stick them in a Vermont college.
Essex College functions as a microcosm. By making it a fictional vermont college on netflix, the writers get to play with the "bubble" effect. At a school like Essex, the outside world doesn't really exist. The drama of who is dating whom in the Catullan (the school's fictional humor magazine) feels like a matter of international security. That is the quintessential Vermont college experience: the stakes are small, but they feel infinite.
What the Show Gets Right (And Wrong)
Let's talk about the "naked parties." If you’ve watched the show, you know the legendary "Almost Naked" party is a massive plot point. Is that real? Well, sort of. Many New England schools have long-standing, slightly weird traditions. Vermont's own UVM has "The Naked Bike Ride." Yale has its secret societies.
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The show nails the social stratification. You have the "work-study" kids, like Kimberly, who are constantly stressed about money in a sea of people who don't have to look at their bank accounts. This is a very real tension at schools like Middlebury or Williams.
What does it get wrong? The weather, mostly.
In the show, everyone is wearing cute skirts and light jackets. In an actual Vermont November, you are wearing a floor-length puffer coat and your eyelashes are freezing together. The "fictional" part of this college is definitely the lack of gray, slushy misery that defines a Vermont winter.
Finding the "Essex" Vibe in Real Life
If you’re searching for this fictional vermont college on netflix because you actually want to go to a place like that, you aren't alone. The "College Core" aesthetic is driving a lot of interest in New England schools.
If you want the Essex experience, you look at these:
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- Middlebury College (Vermont): The gold standard. Incredible academics, stunning mountain views, and a very "Essex" social scene.
- Vassar College (New York): Since it’s the filming location, it literally is Essex. It has a storied history and a very progressive, creative student body.
- Amherst or Williams (Massachusetts): These schools share that same isolated, high-pressure, high-reward atmosphere.
- University of Vermont (UVM): For those who want the Vermont setting but with a slightly larger, more active "state school" energy.
The fascination with Essex College isn't just about the plot. It's about the fantasy of a specific type of American adulthood. It’s the transition period where you’re still a kid but you’re pretending to be an intellectual. Netflix knows this. They know we want to see the 2:00 AM library sessions and the messy dorm room heart-to-hearts.
The Cultural Impact of the Fictional Campus
Fictional colleges allow creators to satirize higher education without getting sued by alumni associations. By creating "Essex," Kaling and her team can poke fun at the pretension of elite literary magazines or the absurdity of Greek life without naming a specific institution.
It also creates a "third space" for the audience. We aren't just watching a story; we are visiting a location. The fictional vermont college on netflix becomes a character in itself. The creaky floors of the dorms and the wood-paneled lecture halls tell us exactly who these girls are trying to become.
Honestly, the show handles the "fictional" aspect better than most. It doesn't feel like a caricature. It feels like a place where you could actually get a degree in Gender Studies and then struggle to pay off your loans. It’s grounded in the reality of the 2020s, even if the school itself isn't on a map.
How to Spend a Weekend in "Essex"
You can't visit Essex, but you can visit Poughkeepsie or Middlebury. If you want to live out the aesthetic, go in late October. Wear corduroy. Buy a notebook you'll never actually fill. Walk through a quad and pretend you have a 3,000-word essay due on the works of Catullus.
The reality of these schools is often more intense than the show portrays—more stress, more caffeine, more rain—but the heart of it is the same. It’s about finding your people in a place that feels like the edge of the world.
Actionable Steps for the "Essex" Aesthetic
If you're looking to capture that Vermont college feel or find similar content, here's what to do:
- Watch the "spiritual" sequels: If you finished the show on Netflix, look for Tell Me Lies (Hulu) or Normal People (Hulu/BBC). They capture that same "campus as a pressure cooker" vibe, though with a much darker tone.
- Visit the real locations: If you’re on the East Coast, a trip to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie will give you the exact visual fix you're looking for. It's an easy train ride from NYC.
- Explore the "Dark Academia" subculture: This is the aesthetic movement that fuels the obsession with Essex. Search for it on Pinterest or TikTok to find book recommendations and fashion that mirrors the show's look.
- Check the real Vermont schools: If you are actually a student looking to apply, research the "Little Ivies." This group of schools (including Middlebury, Amherst, and Williams) is the real-world foundation for everything you see at Essex College.