The INSIDER Summary:
- A lot of celebrities choose to skip college, but these stars went back for a degree after they were already famous.
- Child stars like Dakota Fanning and Ariel Winter didn't let fame stop them from pursuing a degree.
- Eva Longoria went back for her master's degree after a successful run on "Desperate Housewives."
There’s a routine that nearly every high school senior goes through: apply to college, wait an ungodly amount of time, then find out which university you’re going to ship yourself off to at the end of summer. For most, college is a transition period for early 20-somethings to learn more about themselves and what they want to do with the rest of their lives. However, for a lot of teen stars — whose careers seem set before they reach legal adulthood — things like college are put on the back burner to pursue other endeavors.
And while a lot of celebrities usually opt out of university to focus on their work, there are some stars who choose to press pause on their burgeoning careers in pursuit of a higher education. Take a look at 11 celebrities who went to college after they already famous, ahead.
Ariel Winter
After making a name for herself as one of the Dunphy children on the Emmy-winning comedy "Modern Family,"Ariel Winter was accepted into the University of California, Los Angeles in 2016. However, after scheduling conflicts, the actress was forced to defer for a year and is expected to begin her freshman year this fall as a political science major with dreams of becoming a lawyer. Winter's "Modern Family" co-star Nolan Gould also joked about "sibling" rivalry, considering he was recently accepted to UCLA's opposing school, University of Southern California.
America Ferrera
Not too long after starting her freshman year at University of Southern California, America Ferrera was offered the lead role in "Ugly Betty." After a conversation with her professor, who advised her to take the job and come back to finish her degree later, America — who had already starred on "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"— dropped out of USC to begin her television career. She returned to USC in 2008 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in international relations in 2013, 10 years after she initially began.
Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning was already a household name, with critically acclaimed hits like "I Am Sam" and "Uptown Girls," by the time she decided to take a break from her acting career to attend New York University in 2011. There, Fanning attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she majored in women's studies, with a focus on women in film and culture. She graduated in 2014.
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