At 18, Brooke Shields was one of the most famous people on the planet, but she put her incredibly successful career on hold to attend Princeton University because she wanted to prove she was more than just her looks.
Since they've already spent years gaining experience in their chosen field, most child stars don't go to college or university. However, some decide to pause their careers so that they can have the "normal" experience of earning a degree (though not all of them finish it).
15 Former Child Stars Who Decided To "Be Normal" And Go To College (And Who Actually Graduated)
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| 25 Former Child Stars Who Decided To "Be Normal" And Go To College (And Who Actually Graduated) |
Other people who got famous at a young age, and want to continue their education, keep working while also taking classes.
Here are 10 former child stars who took a break from fame to go to college:
1. Wanting to break free of the preconceived notions Hollywood had of her, 18-year-old Brooke Shields put her modeling and acting career on hold to attend Princeton. She got her bachelor's in Romance languages and graduated with honors.
2. After The Wonder Years ended, Danica McKellar took a break from acting to get her bachelor's degree because she wanted to find her value outside of the role that made her famous. She studied mathematics at UCLA, where she graduated summa cum laude.
3. When Blossom ended, Mayim Bialik embarked on a 12-year break from acting to study neuroscience at UCLA. She earned both her bachelor's and her doctorate.
4. After wrapping The Suite Life on Deck, Cole Sprouse paused his acting career and earned his bachelor's from NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where he designed his own major.
5. Cole's brother, Dylan Sprouse, also enrolled at NYU's Gallatin School, where he earned his bachelor's in video game design.
Both brothers graduated with honors.
6. After the last season of iCarly, Miranda Cosgrove attended the University of Southern California, where she earned her bachelor's in psychology.
7. Joseph Gordon-Levitt temporarily quit acting because he wanted to try something outside of entertainment. At Columbia, he studied history, literature, and French.
However, he dropped out after downloading the editing software Final Cut Pro and teaching himself to edit videos.
8. Having already won an Oscar at 11, Anna Paquin was prepared to give up acting when she enrolled at Columbia at 18.
However, after a year of studying French and English literature, she dropped out to continue acting full-time.
9. A few years after leaving Home Improvement, Jonathan Taylor Thomas left acting for academics. Starting in 2002, he spent two years studying history and philosophy at Harvard and studied abroad at St. Andrews in Scotland.
A few years later, he enrolled in another Ivy, graduating from Columbia University's School of General Studies in 2010.
He never fully returned to acting, apart from several TV guest roles.
10. And finally, in 2010, Boy Meets World actor Danielle Fishel largely stepped away from the spotlight to earn her bachelor's in psychology from California State University, Fullerton.
She graduated before starring in Girl Meets World.
And now, here are 15 child stars who kept working while going to school:
11. Stranger Things actor, Noah Schnapp, is currently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where he's studying business entrepreneurship and innovation at Wharton (a business major).
12. Dakota Fanning studied film and the portrayal of women in film at NYU, but she "wasn't willing to sacrifice [her] career." She balanced her schoolwork with projects like Brimstone.
14. Tamera's sister, Tia Mowry, was also a part-time Pepperdine student while shooting Sister, Sister. She also earned her bachelor's in psychology.
