The WiseChoice Blog: Your College Planning Voice

This season on Gossip Girl (you might notice several references in my posts, sorry, huge fan here), Hilary Duff plays a movie star who wants to attend college just like any other student. Of course her plans to enjoy NYU are thwarted as she is forced make the final film in her hit series, but it got me thinking about celebrities attending college. Can you imagine rooming with the next “it” girl or comic genius? It happens to some!

To quench my thirst for celeb college knowledge, I scoured the Internet and compiled a list of A-listers and their alma maters. Interestingly enough, not all of them went to school in New York and studied theater! So while your major is important, remember that it does not have to define you or your career path. See below:

Eva Longoria Parker of Desperate Housewives fame graduated from Texas A&M – Kingsville with a degree in Kinesiology.

The hilarious Will Ferrell is a Sports Broadcasting graduate of the University of Southern California.

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal graduated from Columbia with a degree in Eastern Religions.

Julia Stiles of film and stage also graduated from Columbia University with a degree in English.

Chuck “the Iceman” Liddell holds a B.A. in Accounting from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Scrubs’ Zach Braff earned his Film degree from Northwestern University.

The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart graduated from The College of William and Mary and majored in Psychology.

Conan O’Brien graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a degree in U.S. History.

Natalie Portman also graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Psychology.

Actress Calista Flockhart graduated from Rutgers University, where she met her friend, 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski.

Clay Aiken of American Idol fame holds a degree in Special Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

And where did Oprah Winfrey go to college, you ask? In a bit of foreshadowing, the most powerful woman in television attended Tennessee State University on a full scholarship by winning an oratory contest. She holds a degree in Speech and Performing Arts.

Tags: celebrity college majors, choosing a college major, college majors and careers, Oprah Winfrey and college
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Is anyone freaking out thinking you need to choose a career before you graduate from high school?  I did.  I’m talking nail biting, cold sweats, near melt down – freaking out.  Okay, it probably wasn’t quite that extreme, but choosing a college major before even finishing high school was very stressful for me.

Here’s the thing, college is a time of discovery.  In college you will have the opportunity to take classes in subjects you’ve never studied before.  You’ll be taught by professors and sharing classes with students who have completely different experiences, and come from different cultures and backgrounds from yours.  You will discover strengths and talents, and even weaknesses you never knew you had.  That’s kind of the whole purpose of higher education. 

Most universities don’t require you to declare a major until your junior year, so there’s no need to stress about it in high school. (A tidbit of info I would have found helpful!)  Some of you definitively know what you want to study, and in that case, by all means focus on finding schools that cater to your field of interest.  Others might be drawn to a general area of study but are unsure what you can do with a degree in history, for example. Your school and even the specific departments have advisors that deal with these same student concerns all of the time.  Use them!   

Your first year of classes will likely be 100-level general knowledge classes that will count toward every degree, so if you have no idea what you want to do, I promise you, it is okay. While you are searching to find the right college, be sure to consider schools that offer a wide-range of programs so that you have the opportunity to explore and find your niche. Remember, discovering what you are not interested in is just as important to help you narrow your choices of a college major.

I know it’s all easier said than done, but if you savor your classes and take ones that get you out of your box, you might be surprised at what interests you.  Take it from me, I graduated with a degree in Philosophy . . . and now I’m an attorney!

Tags: choice of a college major, choosing a career, choosing a college major, declare a major, find the right college, purpose of higher education
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