Something that I’ve been curious about …
Do we know where The Office characters Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly went to college?
I know that both characters have mentioned going to college — Pam says she did a little drawing in college in Season 2’s Boys and Girls, and Jim jokes he majored in public speaking in college in Season 2’s Dwight’s Speech — but do we know which schools they attended?
I don’t think school names have ever been mentioned in a network-aired episode, but perhaps in a deleted scene or on the DVD?
Thanks!
UPDATE: Jenna/Pam’s MySpace page states that Pam went to Marywood University in Scranton from 1998-2000. Tipster: Paul
Now what about Jim?
Pam: Jenna says where Pam went to college on her myspace page (I’m at work and can’t access it to confirm, but I recall seeing it there). There’s always Pratt too, of course.
Jim: I don’t know, but I think he has worn various Univ of Scranton sweatshirts so that’s my best guess. Are there any other clues available from snooping around his bedroom in Email Surveillance?
[from tanster: do you happen to know in which scenes/episodes that Jim wore a U of Scranton shirt? thanks!]
in the lecture circuit pt. 1 michael discovers the PA system in the office and announces that jim went to the university of north carolina! unless he was just making it up…
also, jim didn’t actually major in public speaking haha. he just made that up for his prank with dwight.
Jim wears a U of Scranton t-shirt in “Basketball” and his roommate is wearing a U of Scranton sweatshirt in “Email Surveillance”…don’t know if this helps?
Marywood is something that Jenna has said that she made up in her own little back story for Pam, not necessarily canon, and Jim wore a University of Scranton t-shirt in Basketball.
Not sure why, but for some reason, I always thought that Jim went to a school that was bigger than the University of Scranton. I just don’t remember why I think that …
John Krasinski went to Brown. :) not very helpful, but a trivia fact,
In ‘Basketball’ in season 1 Jim was wearing a Scranton shirt but I’m not sure if it’s for the University or High School
When Michael announces Jim’s entrance into his office the one time, he says, “from the University of North Carolina…” Not sure if that’s true or not.
I’m sure a lot of people are going to comment about Michael Scott announcing Jim’s entrance in ‘Lecture Circuit Pt. 1’ with “…standing at 6’6″ from the University of North Carolina”, but I’m pretty sure Michael Scott was quoting Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls introduction. Michael Jordan is the 6’6″ person from UNC.
However, as someone who is an NC State Univ. fan and despises UNC, this may just be me really hoping Jim isn’t from UNC. Then again this would open up some jokes about the quality of job a UNC grad could get…
If you look at the shirt he’s wearing in ‘Basketball’… its gray with white and what looks like purple. The colors for Scranton University are purple and white.
The colors for the High School are Maroon and Gold… unless of course he went to West Scranton High School… whose colors are blue and white…
I’m going to go with Scranton University. Unless the purple I’m seeing is blue… then… who knows.
Yeah, the thing on Jenna’s MySpace is just Jenna’s backstory for Pam. It doesn’t necessarily mean the true backstory that Greg & Co. have created.
In fact, I think that Greg has mentioned in the past that they didn’t want to make things concrete in terms of character backgrounds because then later when they wanted to do something, they might not be able to because of that character’s background that they already established.
However, in my own personal canon, I think that Pam went to a local college and Jim probably went to one of the state schools, and the only reason he has a U. of Scranton is because maybe he did a basketball camp there or something.
I’m going with the University of Scranton. The shirt he’s wearing in “Basketball” is definitely a University of Scranton t-shirt. And as others have pointed out, his roommate in “Email Surveillance” is wearing a UofS hoodie.
It would be pretty cool if at some point we knew for sure where they both went to school. Pulling for UofS for Halpert, but I’m so very biased.
I don’t know how much the t-shirts are “proof” Jim went there. I myself went to Boston College but I have so much stuff from other schools because friends went there or I borrowed stuff and it just became mine . . I agree U of Scranton makes the most sense for Jim. I don’t think he went out of state, that’s not my feeling. Now watch the showrunners prove me wrong :)
Yes, Michael’s UNC introduction for Jim was simply Michael Jordan’s Bulls introduction, not any indication that Jim attended that school.
Jenna’s backstory for Pam, while the best we have to go on, isn’t officially official. Maybe it’s for Pam Beesley, not Beesly. :D
The Univeristy of Scranton shirt Jim wore in Basketball is prolly the best lead we have to go on, but it’s far from concrete. It’s also possible that Jim didn’t attend college at all, and his crack at Dwight was a wee bit of self-deprecation. Plus, it would fit with his stagnation and lack of ambition.
Jim went to the School of Hot Salesman in a White shirt….booyah…
Pam has had a University of Scranton scarf or bandanna hanging on the cubicle wall she shares with Angela. I don’t have my DVDs handy to check, but I’m pretty sure it’s been there since the beginning of the show (as has Dwight’s Froggy radio sticker, for local color). Thus, I doubt she would have put it there to support her boyfriend/fiancé, but rather to show her pride in her own alma mater.
I remember seeing a Drexel University Sticker on a blue car. That wouldn’t be too far fetched. Jim seemed a little familiar with Philadelphia.
Penn State makes total sense given Jim’s personality. He’s a hard working, down to earth, modest background state schooler type.
As far as I’m concerned, Pam went to Marywood because until TPTB confirm differently, Jenna’s the ultimate authority.
Jim is a local guy through and through. He certainly didn’t go to school out of state and I doubt he went to a DI school. University of Scranton all the way.
Jim went to the University of Scranton because he had their shirt on in “Basketball”
I graduated from Marywood. I think I saw Pam in the cafeteria. Once.
I can’t decide if I think that Jim went to the University of Scranton or a state school. The U (as it’s referred to by the locals) is a pretty good school, and not that I don’t think Jim could definitely get in, but I think he’s more the state school type…PSU perhaps.
I definitely don’t think that his having a U of S shirt means he went there. I have a bunch of stuff from Penn State and UConn and I went to neither.
NDMike, the U of S bandana thing that is behind reception was still there even when Pam moved to sales so I don’t think it was hers.
I could picture Jim going to PSU. He seems like a state university guy. Nittany Lions FTW
I think that when Jim said that he majored in public speaking, he was saying so in jest, to make the prank more complete (he was trying to get Dwight to embarrass himself at award ceremony with his speech)
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were an official statement saying Jim didn’t go to college, or only went to his towns CC for a 2yr. Jim doesn’t do much. College might be a leap for him.
i think that, at least, jim did graduate college. because 1) when he pranks dwight with the computer start up and the mints, he mentions psych class, which is usually taken in college, and 2) by the time he would’ve gotten the sales job, i don’t think most companies will hire you without a bachelor’s degree.
i like the idea that he went to school in philly, because that’s where i live, but he doesn’t really seem hip enough to have been a student here. (but that’s not an insult! people here just try really hard to be cool.)
@songer:
SoooooooooooooOOOooooo true!
I always assumed they were both stuck at dunder Mifflin bc they didn’t have degrees.
In Season 9 Ep 16, “Moving On,” Pam’s resume only includes her high school (Valley View) and Pratt…no undergrad in between!
On her resume in the Season 9 Episode 16, “Moving On,” She did not list a undergraduate degree from anywhere. She went to Valley View High School, which is located in Archbald, Pennsylvania, near Scranton. I’m assuming that she picked up her receptionist job after high school, since I’m sure you don’t need a degree from that. Additionally she attended Pratt Institute in Season 5 and she did list that on her resume.
There is nothing from the show that indicates where Jim went. He’s worn University of Scranton shirts before, which means he could have went, but he never says so. I do not think he went to UNC since Michael was just quoting Michael Jordan’s intro. Jim does not seem like the person to go to a small college like the University of Scranton. I would not be surprised if he went some place like Penn State or a state school near Pennsylvania. Also, he might have not gone to college (Michael did not) but honestly, who knows.
Jim definitely went to college. There’s no way David Wallace would have been considering him for the corporate job without a college degree. Whether it was Scranton or PSU or somewhere else, who knows?
Jim Halpert went to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was introduced somehow,, “from the university of North Carolina… Jimmm HALPERT”
Pam played volleyball in Jr High, High School and College, so she went to College somewhere besides Pratt.