Entertainment

How 'PLL' High School Differs From The Real Ones

by Kaitlin Reilly

After six seasons, it's finally time for Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer finally get the hell out of Rosewood. It's not just Rosewood the girls will be leaving behind when Pretty Little Liars picks up after a five-year time jump, though: they'll also be saying goodbye to high school. With all of the lying, sleuthing, and evading 'A' that the Liars have achieved during their time in high school, it's pretty amazing that any of them made it to graduation at all. Maybe that's because Rosewood High School isn't anything like your typical four-year sentence — would anyone really expect a town as weird as Rosewood to be able to give its students a traditional high school experience?

In short: no way. Let's not forget that Rosewood is the place where faking your own death is a typical Tuesday occurrence, murder is a good solution to your problems, and if you haven't been thrown in jail at least once in your lifetime, you're the odd girl out. It's really no surprise at all that the town high school isn't your standard "pep rally and bad cafeteria food" sort of experience.

But what really separates Rosewood High from real high schools? Here are just a few major things...

REAL HIGH SCHOOL: Expels The Student Who Systematically Tortured Four Other Students

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Allows The Student Back In School Immediately

Mona may have (sort of) won the girls over eventually, but her post-Radley return to Rosewood should have raised major eyebrows. Did no one on the school board think that maybe, just maybe, inviting Mona back to Rosewood might make the students she tortured (and nearly killed!) a bit uncomfortable?! There has to be a private school on the Main Line Mona could have attended instead.

REAL HIGH SCHOOL: Fires The Teacher Hooking Up With A Student... And Calls The Cops

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Chooses To Ignore The Problem, Then Hires The Teacher Back After He Quits

I will never understand Rosewood's student/teacher relationship policy. It was painfully obvious that Ezra and Aria had a thing — the principal even questioned Aria about her relationship with Ezra — but no one thought it appropriate to actually confront Ezra about his icky behavior? How many parties does this guy have to show up with as Aria's date before a parent phones the cops? If this went down at my old high school, it would be the only thing anyone talked about, ever.

REAL HIGH SCHOOL: Punishes Students For Skipping Class

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Doesn't Care If You Show Up Or Not

In the real world, you can't just skip physics because you have a really great lead on A's identity.

REAL HIGH SCHOOL: Considers It A Conflict Of Interest For Your Parent To Teach Your Class

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Thinks It's Perfectly Fine

Obviously it's not okay for Aria to be taught by her own mother, but it's also a little sketch for Ella to teach any of Aria's BFFs, too. I mean, Ella pretty much helped Emily cheat on her exams so that she would pass her course, which is exactly why these situations don't happen in real life.

REAL HIGH SCHOOLS: Doesn't Put Non-Students In The Yearbook

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Doesn't Notice That Their Prom Queen Doesn't Even Go Here

Okay, so I get the photographer not realizing that CeCe wasn't actually a student... but wouldn't someone on the Yearbook Committee notice that no one actually knew who the so-called prom queen was?

REAL HIGH SCHOOL: Doesn't Have Students Who Were Resurrected From The Dead

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Has It Happen Twice In The Same Year

I suppose these are rather specific circumstances, but if your school mourned the loss of two students only for them to reappear in homeroom a few months later, it would raise a whole lot more eyebrows than it did at Rosewood. Good to have you back in French Club, Mona.

REAL HIGH SCHOOL: Is All About Sweatpants, Hair Tied, Chilling With No Makeup On

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Every Day Is Picture Day

Do you have any idea how many girls wore straight-up pajama pants in my high school? (Thankfully, messy buns were chic at the time.) But at Rosewood? Perfect hair, heels, and fab accessories are the signature of every student at that school, not just the ones vying for Best Dressed in the yearbook.

REAL HIGH SCHOOL: Has Scrubs

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: Has Caleb Rivers

Hey... it's not all bad.

You may love watching Pretty Little Liars, but maybe be grateful that you were educated outside of Rosewood High School: the school's drama isn't nearly as fun when you actually live through it.

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