Every fan of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy show and novel, "Game of Thrones" is familiar with the character, Jon Snow. The show, based on Martin’s series, "A Song of Ice and Fire" features the different houses and characters fighting either for or against the throne in this fantasy series. While the story contains everything from dragons, to frozen zombies (white walkers), to royal scandal, there are several life lessons and characters that the audience cannot help but find relatable. Jon Snow is one of the main characters in the story and plays an extremely pivotal role in the recent seasons. Personally, I find this character to be the most relatable to college students, specifically for those who have just finished their undergraduate careers or are at least nearing the end. As I continue to watch "Game of Thrones," I find specific connections that all of us post grads (and of course, not quite post grads). From finding oneself to figuring out this big, scary world, here are the reasons why I believe Jon Snow is the most relatable character for college students.

“You know nothing, Jon Snow”

This famous line, used repeatedly throughout the show, is a common theme that everyone who watches is familiar with. “You know nothing, Jon Snow” is first said by a young woman named Ygritte, who is apart of a vicious, uncivilized tribe known as the “Wildlings.” The reason she says this is because she feels that Jon is still like a young boy in a world he knows nothing about as he has never met a Wildling before. Just like Jon Snow and his naivete, many post grads find that they “know nothing” about the real world despite the fact that they have spent the past four years (at least) learning a plethora of information for a “well rounded” education. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that despite learning a vast amount of text book information, there is so much more to discover about life. This requires personal experience and a lot of trial and error. What I find most interesting is looking back on freshman year of junior college and remembering that I thought I had everything figured out. I was just a high school grad who had no idea how the world worked yet, for the most part. Five years later and in my senior year at university, I find that just like Jon Snow, I am about to enter the “real world” and still “know nothing.”

The bastard child of Ned Stark

One of the reasons why Jon Snow is such a unique character is that he is not only a part one of the main houses (The Starks of Winterfell), he is actually the bastard child of Lord Eddard or “Ned” Stark. Because he is a bastard, he has felt out of place most of his life and finds it very difficult to fit in from friends to even finding “employment!” On top of that, since he does not know his birth mother, there is much about his past that he will never be able to learn. This in turn makes it more difficult for him to learn about who he is. He watches his other half siblings as they experience the love of both of their birth parents without the shame that comes with being a bastard. While I am in no way saying that Jon’s “bastard-ness” literally relates to college students, the out of place feelings that come with such a title are not a stranger as young adults often feel very out of place as they step into the adult world. Since college is a time where everyone is still figuring out who they are and “finding themselves”, it is easy to find oneself alone and lost on this path to forming an identity. As a communication studies major, I am even more aware of how important social identity and the identity forming process are. That said, Jon being a bastard child can be seen as a metaphor for how out of place and longing for a “niche” most college students are.

Commander of the Night’s Watch

In a nutshell, the Night’s Watch is a military order which guards the Wall, a border separating the Northern lands from “the lands beyond.” Jon Snow joins this order as it allows everyone (even bastards) the ability to hold a position of high rank. Eventually, Jon becomes the commander of the Night’s Watch. What I immediately think of when I realize that Jon, who is a bastard child, was able to achieve a high position is how post grads often find themselves in a job they feel they may not be qualified for. However, because they have a degree, they are thrown into a position they feel is above them. Personally, I know this is how I will be feeling once I entire the work field after college as I am only one semester away from graduating. “I know nothing, I’m alone, I’m under qualified,” is basically my attitude as I realize that I am so close to achieving my degree. When I think of all these things, I think of Jon Snow and say, “at least he’s someone (fictional character or not) who knows what I’m feeling these days.”