I spent a week as Rory Gilmore and now I know how she got into Yale

Everyone has an undying love of the Gilmore Girls. Their charm and quippy humor is what impresses most, but what really impresses me about the show is their lifestyle. What would it be like to live like the Gilmores?

I spent a week living like Rory to see how close I could get to the life of a Stars Hollow socialite. Initially, I was nervous to spend a week like Rory. I am much more of a Lorelai, but since I don’t have a young adult daughter or tons of male suitors, I decided mimicking the shy college student was much more realistic.

For starters, I drank way too much coffee

I like coffee, but I’m not a huge coffee drinker. Caffeine makes me light-headed. But I know Rory always has a mug in hand, so I spent the week acting like a coffee expert. There are three different coffee machines in my kitchen but the only one I know how to use is the Keurig, so I made sure to make a mug every morning.

I also explored some of the cute coffee shops around my town, drinking mocha after mocha since they taste like adult chocolate milk. I am pretty sure the hipster barista at The Open Eye Cafe got sick of my basic order since he rolled his eyes at me by Wednesday afternoon. My coffee intake peaked on Thursday when I drank four cups (!!!!). As you could predict, I spent most of the week super jittery. By Sunday, I swear I didn’t feel the coffee as much as I had before.

I read for fun

There is that joke that you can choose to have sleep, a social life, or good grades in college. You’ll notice that “time to read books” is not included in those choices. Prior to this week, reading for fun was something I did at the beach or over the summer when I was grieving over the fact that all of my friends were on vacation. This week, I took time to read The Bell Jar, which has been sitting on the bookcase in my living room for months.

The Bell Jar is actually mentioned in the show (Season 1, Episode 17), so I felt very authentic curling up on my couch with a cup of coffee and reading like Rory. I had an exam on Tuesday, so making time to read on Sunday and Monday was tough. I pushed myself to read 10 pages each day.

Now, The Bell Jar is a good book, but the beginning is a bit slow and disorienting. By Wednesday, I was worried about being able to go on but I pushed myself to read 10 more pages after dinner. By Friday, I was hooked and since I have no Friday classes, I spent most of the afternoon devouring Sylvia Plath and sitting in angst. Thank you to Gilmore Girls for giving me one of my new favorite novels.

I studied too much

I definitely don’t go to Yale like Rory does, but I do go to a prestigious public university. However, my motto when it comes to school is usually, “You can only do so much.” I work hard but I don’t spend my nights going over notes over and over. I knew to really emulate Rory, I needed to become that workaholic everyone has in their classes.

I had two papers and an exam on Tuesday, so I naturally studied a lot on Sunday and Monday night. However, on Tuesday and Wednesday, I pushed myself to stay up and study for an exam the following week. I even color coded my notes. That never happens for me. I also convinced my boyfriend to be my “Lorelai” and go over my notes with me like Lorelai goes over Rory’s flashcards with her. It was actually super helpful and I killed the exam. I would love to channel Rory more with my study habits but honestly, it was exhausting.

I watched hours of movies

I really understood that Gilmore Girls was fiction when I tried to fit movies into a schedule that was already full of normal college activities, studying my ass off and reading for fun. But, taking one for the team, I logged into my Netflix account on Sunday night for a study break. Rory Gilmore would’ve loved Netflix – I imagine her devouring the Netflix originals. She and Lorelai would’ve binge-watched Orange is the New Black.

I found an online list of movies mentioned in the show and decided to watch a lighthearted, 80s classic: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. When it comes to classics, I was also able to also finish Sixteen Candles. Later in the week, I made time to watch newer classics that I was sure Rory would watch like Legally Blonde and 50 First Dates. I stayed in on a Thursday night to watch movies – a rare occasion for someone who thrives off the social scene like me.

I ate a LOT of take out

The Gilmore Girls are always eating at Luke’s or ordering in pizza. As a foodie, this aspect of the challenge made me super happy. I ordered in pizza. I ate out at my favorite burger joint with my friends with no regrets. I even made knock-off Chinese food in honor of Rory’s favorite type of carry-out. My primary question at the end of my gluttonous week: how do the Gilmores afford to eat out all of the time? Luke must cut them a pretty great deal.

I didn’t go to the gym

This was definitely the easiest aspect of my week. Rory Gilmore is a complete couch potato, as am I. I took a week off the gym with no remorse or feelings of “you’re definitely getting fat.” Maybe neglecting the gym is how she makes so much time for books and movies?

I wore cute, ‘so 2000s’ clothes

Let’s be honest, the Gilmores’ closets are #goals. The hip-huggers. The cute sweaters. The middle parts. I usually wear Nike shorts and big t-shirts to class, but this week I made an effort to show off my Rory-inspired style.

I called my mom…a lot

Rory and Lorelai have a special relationship where they talk everyday without wanting to kill each other. I love my mom, but we talk on the phone on average about once a week. This week, I made a point to call her every day. Some days she didn’t pick up, which is not very Lorelai-like. But after a week and five calls, I realized that one of the things I miss most about home is being able to go over daily happenings with my mom. She even has my sense of humor, so we bond over jokes and general views of the world, just like Lorelai and Rory. I started to understand a little better why Rory visited home so often and I started to plan a visit home at the end of the month. So I can talk to my mom, but also so she can feed me. Because let’s be real, Rory was definitely going home for that free pizza too.

My time as Rory Gilmore taught me many things. First, she only accomplishes so many things while retaining her tiny figure because she is a fictional character. And even as a fictional character, that constant coffee has to help a lot.

But even though our lives aren’t written to awe and inspire WB viewers, we still decide what we prioritize in our day to day life. If you want to read a book, make it important. If you want to talk to your mom every day, first consider it very carefully, then make it important. We write our own lives. And we might not be as great at that as the Palladinos, but we can damn try.