Before going to college, my mom wanted to make sure we watched tons of movies together to make up for all the Friday night movies Ill be missing when Im off at college. We must have watched dozens of movies over the past 3 weeks, but these all had a special place in my heart. These movies taught me not only life lessons, but lessons I can use in college. From the importance of friendship to reminding ourselves that the little things in life are the most important, each movie highlights a essential life lesson. Here are the six most important lessons I learned while preparing for college.

1. "Legally Blonde"

Reese Witherspoon portrays “ditzy” blonde Elle Woods in the classic 2001 movie. Elle is dumped by her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, who is attending Harvard Law School to become a lawyer and then a senator. He says he needs someone more serious, so Elle applies and gets accepted into Harvard Law School, only to get good grades in her classes and helps work on a big case. Elle doesn't go through this flawlessly, however; Warner's new girlfriend, professors, and even Warner himself all put Elle down, but she powers through all the doubt. Elle teaches us to keep our heads high and show people what we can do.

2. "Clueless"

Cher is a junior in high school while she rules the school. Cher uses her I’m-better-than-you personality to set up teachers, negotiate grades, and making over “hopeless” girls. Cher’s step-brother, Josh, confronts her and tells her that she is clueless to the real world. After one of the girls that Cher made over becomes more popular than Cher herself, she sees how she acts and starts to realize that not everything that’s important is in high school. Cher reminds us to think about others, and to remember that the world does not revolve around us.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a great movie about girlfriends. It follows four high-school best friends who spend a summer away from each other; but before they all go their separate ways, they find a pair of jeans that fit them all. They take turns wearing them and write about what happened in the jeans. Throughout the summer, they all experiences troubles with love, family and friends. In the end, they all reunite and help each other get through the emotional damage that the summer had caused. It reminds us that friends are there for us no matter what, and that we can always rely on them, whether near or far.

4. "Toy Story 3"

As far as preparing for college by having your soul ripped to shreds, this is the best movie to watch. If you want to be at an adequate level of sadness, then watch this. I'm not sure if I am Andy, leaving the life I've known behind, or Woody, having to adjust to a positive change but it being difficult to do so. Either way, I have been looking for a good reason to cry because of the sadness I feel so if you wish to shed tears for the fading memories of your childhood, then "Toy Story 3" is your movie. It teaches me that everything's gotta end sometime, otherwise nothing would ever get started.

5. "The Little Prince"

Based off of one of the most optimistic books ever written, this story traces the summer of a young girl who is learning what it truly means to 'grow up'. Confused by what it means to be a successful adult, she befriends her eccentric neighbor who tells her the tale of the little prince. Who came to him long ago in his hour of need to remind him that growing up isn't the problem, forgetting is. It served as a beautiful reminder that the best things in life, the ones that truly count, are invisible. And yeah, I cried. I've been doing a lot of that lately.

6. "Finding Nemo"

This movie holds some personal significance for me because it was the first Pixar movie that I was old enough to remember. I love the lesson that can be learned from it. Which for me is that life is a balance of letting go and holding on. And that lesson is one that I have drawn near to me in this tumultuous time. I have had to make a lot of decisions lately as to what I should let go of, be it stuff or even experiences that may have shaped me negatively while still trying to hold onto things that matter like my friends and family. I am both Marlin who is desperately trying to hold on and Nemo, who is more than ready to let go.