What do Emma Watson, The Olsen Twins, Natalie Portman, Karlie Kloss and James Franco have in common? Lifestyles of the ‘Rich and the Famous’ for one thing, but beyond that is their passion to create a better version of themselves. Not through philanthropy or adoption, but something surprisingly uncommon for others ranked in their A-List status: a college degree. Taking a hiatus from the movie set and hitting the classroom instead seems to have been the new trend emerging in the world of Hollywood for those that entered the limelight at a young age. Even with the rising price of obtaining a college degree, celebrities with more income than they know what to do with have been dropping the monumental price tag. For most people it’s an opportunity cost of the time it takes to finish schooling. However many celebrities have been taking classes at universities closest to their current home. The Olsen twins opted for NYU, seeing as they already had purchased their million dollar penthouse nearby the year prior, whereas many (such as Franco) preferred to stay local in California and attend UCLA.
There’s hope for humanity knowing that even the most watched humans on the planet are still interested in being more educated people rather than just showcasing their Bentley. With a world hooked on materialistic tendencies, many will admit they only attend college as a means to ‘make the best life possible for themselves and future families,’ a nice way of saying, be rich (many might bluntly admit that right off the bat). To see those who have already attained the fortune and lifestyle so many of us desire decide to go to college to gain knowledge is a refreshing concept. There is great comfort in knowing no matter what happens throughout your lifetime, your education is the only thing that cannot physically be taken away from you — and many celebrities have begun to advocate that concept. Natalie Portman, who attended Harvard even while filming the one of the Stars Wars movies, was one of the first to pronounce how much she would rather be smart than be a movie star. As the trend continues to flourish, it’s exciting to see a society working towards focusing on gaining knowledge of the things that truly matter, even if they have to be found through a textbook or case study. We love you Kylie Jenner, but we’d love to see you focus more on you and your brain power, and less on Tyga.