For most college students, graduation means moving out into the real world, and navigating the challenges of finding a full-time job, place to live, and new adult life.

For Parisa Montazaran, graduation from college meant moving into The Real World: Sydney, and navigating the challenges of being filmed 24-7, living with six total strangers, and newfound fame as a cast member of one of MTV's longest-running series.

Now that she is done with both experiences, she recently reflected upon them with the newspaper from her alma mater, New York University.

Some people can't wait to be done with school, but Parisa is not one of them. She says of New York University, "I miss it so much…This is my first semester not being back, and I just really, really miss it."

She enjoyed the academic experience, and it paid off. She maintained a “near-perfect” GPA, and took part in extracurricular activities like debate team and a sorority. "I really liked school," she said. "I just loved spending nights in [the NYU library]. I'm kind of a dork like that."

And she is just as positive about her time in Sydney on The Real World, even though she might have had some challenges with other cast members, and even though it can be embarrassing to see how she behaved or was edited to appear. "I've been cringing since the start. Watching myself be so stupid and the way it comes off. It's definitely something else.”

Nevertheless, she said about her time on The Real World, "We all had our ups and downs, but we left with the fulfillment from the experience…It was an incredible experience. I just can't even put it into words.” She thinks this will be one of the highlights of her life, predicting "there's nothing that will ever match it in the end."


- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Washington Square News
(Image courtesy of MTV)