When she attends Harvard next fall, Yara Shahidi will follow in the footsteps of other famous folks who took on the role of college students.
5 actors who attended college
Neal Justin
Mayim Bialik
Before enrolling: Starred as a young Bette Midler in "Beaches" and danced her way into viewers' hearts as "Blossom."
School: UCLA, class of 2000. Majored in neuroscience with minors in Hebrew and Jewish studies.
Extra credit: Returned to school to get doctorate in neuroscience in 2007.
Emma Watson
Before enrolling: Cast a spell on "Harry Potter" fans as Hermione Granger and starred in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."
School: Brown University, 2014. English literature.
Extra credit: A bodyguard posed as a fellow student during graduation ceremonies.
James Franco
Before enrolling: Acting cool (TV biopic "James Dean") and nerdy ("Freaks and Geeks").
School: UCLA, 2008. English.
Extra credit: Also took classes at Columbia, NYU, Brooklyn College, Warren Wilson College, Yale and Rhode Island School of Design.
Natalie Portman
Before enrolling: Was one of the "Beautiful Girls" in the Minnesota-shot movie and started work on the second "Star Wars" trilogy.
School: Harvard, 2003. Psychology.
Extra credit: Has studied Hebrew, French, Japanese, German and Arabic. Oh, and ballet.
Jodie Foster
Before enrolling: Got Robert De Niro's meter running in "Taxi Driver" and went all gangsta in "Bugsy Malone."
School: Yale, 1985. Literature.
Extra credit: Wrote her thesis on Toni Morrison.
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