This brief reflection springs from the Netflix shows The Chair and Dear White People , the subjects of the two previous chapters, to consider the trope of higher education as a “refuge” from American society writ large. The idealized vision of college that both series depict appears to offer higher education as an alternative to American society. This chapter suggests that these idealized visions no longer correspond to the needs of the larger audience for higher education. Arguing against a nostalgic approach to the past, this chapter imagines readers of the book as cultivating a healthy cynicism toward the stereotypes and tropes through which higher education is described. The interpretive lenses provided by literature and culture will help readers of this book develop the versatility to address higher education’s existential challenges.