'The Sex Lives of College Girls' Transformed an East Coast School Into Essex College
Published Dec. 1 2021, 5:59 p.m. ET
If you're like us, then you've been desperately searching for the perfect college-setting television series. Well, no need to worry anymore because the HBO Max original series The Sex Lives of College Girls captures everything we've ever wanted.
The dramedy follows the lives of four freshman roommates at the prestigious Essex College in Vermont. The foursome is experiencing their first taste of freedom; based on a few of their personalities, we can tell who hasn't been out much (Bela, we're looking at you).
The series follows each character and focuses on how they deal with the typical struggles and difficulties — time management, schoolwork, getting involved, relationships — that come with attending college.
Though we enjoy each storyline, we haven't been able to stop admiring their college. The traditional construction of the buildings makes us think that this school is of high standing, which is a shock seeing as the shenanigans the girls get up to every episode aren't quite respectable, but that adds to the entertainment value!
So, if you can't stop thinking about Essex College and its striking architecture, keep reading to learn about the filming locations of The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Where is 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' filmed?
Since most of the series takes place on a college campus, it was crucial for production to find the perfect location. Thus, The Sex Lives of College Girls found a home at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Per the Poughkeepsie Journal, the series shot at the liberal arts school and areas around town for approximately three weeks in June 2021.
Gladwyn Lopez, Associated VP for Communications at Vassar, spoke with the publication about the exposure from the Mindy Kaling series. "Filming at the school was 'primarily' outside of buildings, with a variety of locations used that included the main gate, athletic fields, the president’s house, the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film, Rockefeller and Blodgett Halls, and several quads ... the library was used for interior scenes," he shared.
As for the off-campus scenes, The Sex Lives of College Girls favored the areas around Raymond and Collegeview avenue.
"The banners for the fictitious Vermont Botanical Gardens and Fox Hole Donuts were also put up [on Collegeview]," The Cinemaholic reported. "The doughnut store seen in the show is actually the All Shook Up Cafe & Juice Bar on 44 Raymond Avenue."
'The Sex Lives of College Girls' also filmed in California.
The series started filming in November 2020, and the primary location at the time was Los Angeles. With COVID-19 still at its worst, the four stars of the series only met each other for the first time when they filmed together for the first time. That's unfortunate, but when we think about it, it presents an authentic portrayal since their characters were first meeting each other at college.
The Cinemaholic announced that the series filmed a few scenes at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Additionally, the show set up camp in Burbank, Calif. in the Warner Brothers Burbank Studios.
The first five episodes of The Sex Lives of College Girls are available to stream on HBO Max. Episodes 6 through 8 drop on Dec. 2, and Episodes 9 and 10 premiere on Dec. 9, wrapping up the season.