Celebrities! They’re just like us! They shop, they take their kids to the park, they dramatically change their hair, they’re like your average joe! Minus the millions of dollars they receive for films, magazine ads, commercials, etc. due to their line of work. Besides the unique ways in which magazines try to showcase how “normal” celebrities can be, there is one way you as a college student can relate to them. In fact, a decent amount of movie stars have attended prestigious universities and made it through four years of collegiate schooling. Some while still filming major movie franchises, television shows, etc. Here are ten who’ve gone off to college and made it to graduation despite their work schedule.
Emma Watson- also known, to most, as Hermione Granger of Harry Potter graduated from Brown University with an English degree. Although she enrolled in 2009, she took a brief hiatus to focus on her career. She returned the fall of 2013 to complete her degree.
Mindy Kaling– known for her role as Kelly Kapor on The Office, her new show The Mindy Project and her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? graduated from Dartmouth in 2001 with a degree in theatre.
Meryl Streep– the award winning Oscar nominated actress graduated from Vassar College where she received a Bachelor’s of Arts. She attended Yale School of Drama where she earned her MFA.
James Franco– graduated from UCLA as an English major and from Columbia with an MFA. He went on to attend classes at Brooklyn College, NYU’s Tisch School of Arts and Warren Wilson College for poetry in North Carolina.
Maggie Gyllenhall– graduated from Columbia in 1999 where she studied literature and Eastern religions.
Natalie Portman-Black Swan star graduated from Harvard in 2003 with a degree in psychology. She has been quoted by the New York Post to have said she considered leaving acting to become a vet or clinical psychologist. In her opinion “[she’d] rather be smart than a movie star.”
Lupita Nyong’o– known for her role in 12 Years a Slave she graduated from Hampshire College where she earned a degree in film in 2003 and then continued her education due to her interest in acting at the Yale School of Drama earning a Master’s in Acting.
John Krasinski-also known as Jim Halpert from The Office graduated from Brown University in 2001 where he studied theatre arts and graduated with honors as a playwright
John Legend-the All of Me singer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999 where he studied English with an emphasis on African American literature.
Rachel McAdams– known for her roles in Mean Girls and The Notebook graduated from York University in 2001 with a BFA in acting.