Jess’ character gets a lot of backlash from fans who feel he was a bad influence on Rory, the straight-edge, Yale University-bound protagonist. I cannot agree with this discourse. I think they were the best relationship on the show.
A better depiction of college applications in the media would be showing a sincere reason for the character’s choice of school and a more personalized college search. If producers lead with characters’ genuine motivations rather than sticking with the tried and true big-name school, it will give way to a diversity of acceptances and more realistic representations on what college is truly like.
