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.
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.
