We all know that going to college isn't always the first thing on the mind of celebrities, as they often want to work on furthering their careers. But many people might not realize that many celebrities have not only attended college, but also went to prestigious Ivy League schools.
The Ivy League is a group of eight prestigious universities in the United States and they're made up of Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania. Emma Watson, Shonda Rhimes and John Legend are just a few of many celebrities who went to Ivy League Schools. These are 10 celebrities who attended an Ivy League school and what they majored in.
10 Emma Watson - Brown University
Emma Watson might have gone to Hogwarts in Harry Potter, but in real life, she had the opportunity to attend an Ivy League school. In 2009, Emma was a freshman at Brown University. She studied at the university for five years, taking a year off in 2011, as she was still managing to make movies and pursue her acting career at the same time.
As a result, she finally graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Fans sure hope she puts that degree to good use!
9 Billy Nye - Cornell University
Bill Nye has been everyone's favorite science guy for years now. He has taught his fans quite a few valuable lessons, so it seems no surprise that he graduated from an Ivy League school. Bill Nye graduated in 1977 from Cornell University, where he got a degree in mechanical engineering.
For a while, Bill Nye was an engineer for Boeing, but he had another passion for entertaining people. As a result, he combined his passion for science and entertainment by creating his TV show that taught kids all over the world.
8 Ellie Kemper - Princeton University
Fans might know Ellie Kemper from her funny roles, like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but what people might not realize is that she graduated in 2002 with a degree in English from Princeton University.
While at Princeton, she really got into acting, joining the improvisation club and the musical theater group. As if attending and graduating from Princeton wasn’t enough, Ellie also spent a year at Oxford University after she graduated, where she went for her graduate studies in English Literature. Afterward, she went on to further pursue her career in acting.
7 Mindy Kaling - Dartmouth College
Mindy Kaling is another funny lady that graduated from an Ivy League school. Mindy attended Dartmouth College, where she was a theatre major. While in school, she was super involved with the arts, joining the all-female a capella group, Rockapellas.
She also was a part of the improv troupe, the Dog Day Players. Back in 2018, Mindy returned to her alma mater, where she spoke the class of 2018 about her time at Dartmouth and what to look forward to after graduation and beyond.
6 Natalie Portman - Harvard University
You would think that once one is set in a successful career as an actress, you’d be more than happy to keep it that way. For Natalie Portman, she decided she wanted to take things a step forward and further her education. That’s when the actress decided to apply to Harvard, where not only did she get in, but also graduated with a degree in psychology in 2003.
Natalie wasn’t done there. She then went on to take graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she also had two of her papers published in scientific journals.
5 Shonda Rhimes - Dartmouth College
We all know Shonda Rhimes as the extremely gifted and talented writer that’s behind some of our favorite shows and movies. What people might not realize is that Shonda went to an Ivy League school. She attended Dartmouth College, where she majored in English and film studies, and graduated with a bachelors degree in 1991.
Back in 2014, she was asked to go back to her alma mater, where she spoke at the 2014 commencement ceremony. She also received an honorary PhD from Dartmouth to celebrate all of her successes over the years.
4 Julie Bowen - Brown University
Julie Bowen is a super mom on Modern Family, but in real life, she's a graduate of an Ivy League school, Brown University. While at Brown, Julie studied the Italian Renaissance and graduated in 1991. In addition to studying for her bachelor's degree, she also got heavily involved in theater, starring in a number of productions, such as Lemon Sky and Guys and Dolls.
She also starred in her first movie, an independent film called Five Spot Jewel, when she was a senior. She returned to her alma mater back in 2012 to speak with students, and conduct a question and answer session.
3 Angela Bassett - Yale University
Angela Bassett is an incredible actress who is also extremely intelligent. She attended Yale University, where she received her bachelor's degree as well as her master's. She first graduated with her bachelor's degree in African American studies in 1980. She then went on to complete her master of fine arts at the Yale School of Drama, graduating in 1983.
In 2018, Angela was asked to go back to her alma mater, where she was honored with an honorary doctorate degree. She was one of 10 honorary degree recipients at that year's commencement ceremony.
2 Maggie Gyllenhaal - Columbia University
Maggie Gyllenhaal is an Oscar-nominated actress that also studied at an Ivy League school. In 1999, she graduated from Columbia University, where she received a degree in English Literature. She's not the only Gyllenhaal to attend the Ivy League school, as her brother, Jake Gyllenhaal, also started going to Columbia back in 1998, however, he dropped out and never graduated.
Her mother, Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, also attended Barnard as an undergraduate student, so the family's ties to Columbia are definitely there.
1 John Legend - University of Pennsylvania
We all know that John Legend is a very talented man — he is an EGOT, after all — but what you might not know about him is that he attended the University of Pennsylvania. While an undergraduate, he studied English as well as African-American Literature, where he would graduate magna cum laude in 1999.
John Legend always wanted a career in music, but he felt going to college and getting a regular 9 to 5 job was the safe thing to do. However, he eventually followed his dreams and switched to concentrating on music full time.
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