7 Supermodels Who Went to Top Colleges

There’s a common misconception that you can’t be gorgeous and super smart. But these 7 supermodels prove everyone wrong with their academic background. If you’re stuck in classes and afraid you won’t ever get to lead a glamorous lifestyle because you picked organic chemistry as your major, let these women serve as your inspiration.

1. Christy Turlington: Maybelline girl Christy Turlington is considered one of the original "supers" along with Cindy Crawford, Linda Evanglista and Naomi Campbell. But Christy Turlington, who is also the wife of Ed Burns and a serious yogi, has enjoyed a wildly successful career after she became one of the famous "$10,000-a-day" models. And although Turlington began modeling when she was just 14, she returned to school and earned a B.A. in Comparative Religion and Eastern Philosophy from NYU. At 40 years old, Turlington is again pursuing a degree, studying to earn her Master of Public Health from Columbia.
2. Lily Cole: English model and actress Lily Cole has appeared in Italian Vogue,Numero, French Playboy and other top fashion magazines, and has appeared in campaigns and walked the runway for designers like Chanel, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Rimmel and more. In 2004, she was named Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, and the kewpie-faced redhead also has roles in upcoming films Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Cole was also accepted to King’s College Cambridge, though she deferred twice to concentrate on modeling before settling down.
3. Sasha Pivovarova: Russian model Sasha Pivovarova, at 24, is already a veteran top model. Pivovarova is known for her steely eyes and razor sharp cheekbones, and for six years she was the face of Prada. Pivovarova has also walked for and starred in campaigns for Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, and virtually every other designer. Pivovarova, a favorite of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar photographers and editors, is also an artist who has hosted her own exhibit in New York City. Prior to becoming a model, Pivovarova studied art at the St. Petersburg art institute.
4. Cindy Crawford: Cindy Crawford is an American icon and arguably one of the most famous models in the world. In the 1990s, Crawford modeled for Versace, Revlon, Clairol, Maybelline, Pepsi and appeared on countless magazine covers from Sports Illustrated to Vogue. Crawford is also credited as changing the image of the all-American girl from a saccharine blonde to a sexier, curvier, more powerful brunette. Crawford studied chemical engineering at Northwestern University before dropping out to pursue modeling.
5. Iman: Somali model Iman is also a globally recognized celebrity, the wife of David Bowie, and a fashion icon. Born in 1955, Iman helped open the door to black and minority women who wanted to enter the modeling industry. In addition to her experience in fashion, Iman studied political science at the University of Nairobi and speaks five languages.
6. Brooke Shields: Brooke Shields is known today for her acting work in films and on TV, but Shields has been in the industry since she was just 11 months old, when she began working as a model. Shields was signed with Eileen Ford, who claims she started a child modeling branch of her agency just so that she could work with Shields. Over the next several years, Shields began appearing on magazine covers including Vogue and starred in a then-controversial Calvin Klein ad campaign when she was just a teenager. Shields graduated from modeling to film and TV work, but she took a break during the 1980s to attend Princeton University, from which she earned a degree in French literature.
7. Rebecca Romijn: Rebecca Romijn enjoyed a successful career as a blonde bombshell and supermodel, appearing in Sports Illustrated and Maxim, and working as a top Victoria’s Secret model. During the 1990s, Romijn was also a host of MTV’s House of Style program, after Cindy Crawford. Romijn then began to focus her career on acting, appearing in movies like X-Men and on the popular ABC comedy Ugly Betty. But before her big break, Romijn studied music and voice at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

10 Celebs Who’ve Gone Back to School

              Many people head back to school to finish a degree at an online college, community college or even their alma mater. Whether you want to change your career path, take a few classes just for fun, or finally finish a degree you started when you were younger, there are lots of reasons why going back to school can help you achieve your professional and personal goals. Here are 10 celebrities who — despite their extraordinary success — decided to go back to school and keep learning.

1. James Franco: Actor James Franco got his big break on the television show Freaks and Geeks and then in an award-winning performance in the TV movie James Dean. But with roles in Spider-Man, Milk andPineapple Express, Dean became a full-fledged movie star with a big fat paycheck. He still chose to return to school, however, after dropping out of UCLA after his freshman year. In 2008, he graduated from UCLA with a degree in English, and apparently had been attending classes over several years. That fall, he moved to New York to attend graduate school at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and for a time was even slated to give the commencement speech for the 2009 graduating class of UCLA. He was ultimately vetoed and pulled out of the ceremony.
2. Denzel Washington: Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington was the leading man in the 1990s and early 2000s, and he still enjoys a successful, critically-respected career in Hollywood. The Vermont native attended Fordham University in the 1970s and graduated with a degree in journalism. After graduation, he took time off to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, and eventually returnedto his alma mater's New York City campus to study acting.
3. Shakira: International pop singer Shakira returned to school in 2007 to study Western Civilization at UCLA. Shakira is a strong supporter of causes advocating better living conditions for children and residents of her native South America, is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and is officially committed to donating tens of millions of dollars in aid for victims of natural disasters around the world.
4. Ashley Judd: Actress Ashley Judd grew up in a nomadic entertainment family but managed to graduate from the University of Kentucky with honors. Judd, however, thought that she was one class short of graduating and never walked with her class. After the school year at UK ended, she went back to taking acting classes at Playhouse West in Hollywood, but eventually realized that she had actually taken more than enough classes to complete her bachelor's degree from Kentucky. In 2007 on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen presented Judd with her diploma.
5. Donald Sutherland: Iconic TV and movie actor Donald Sutherland was on a steady track to success before he became famous, graduating with a double major in engineering and drama from the University of Toronto. The New Brunswick native left Canada, however, once he decided on becoming an actor. He returned to his studies in England, where he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
6. Christy Turlington: Supermodel Christy Turlington has been the face of Versace, Maybelline, and other top fashion houses and beauty brands over her decades-long career. Known as one of "the supers" in the 1990s, Turlington continues to model today, as well as support many philanthropic causes, particularly ones that support pregnant women and family life. Turlington also returned to school in the 1990s and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Religion and Eastern Philosophy from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study of New York University. She also graduated with a Masters degree in public health from Columbia at the age of 40.
7. Mischa Barton: Teen actress Mischa Barton was a pop culture obsession when she starred on the very popular TV show The O.C. in the early-to-mid 2000s. But when she expressed an interest in working in movies, it was suggested that she take formal acting classes to improve her craft. Barton moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
8. Steven Spielberg: Movie director Steven Spielberg has won two Academy Awards and numerous other awards and nominations for iconic movies like Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Saving Private Ryan, but was a poor student in film school. The focused director had to drop out of the University of Southern California's School of Theater and begin attending classes at California State University Long Beach. Spielberg had to leave school again, this time to work at Universal Studios, but he eventually earned his degree in 2002, even after he was awarded with an honorary degree.
9. Shaquille O'Neal: Basketball star Shaquille O'Neal was known for his talent even as a college player at LSU. He was so gifted that he left school to play for the NBA before graduating, but finally earned his B.A. in General Studies in 2000, fulfilling a promise to his mother to finish school.
10. Michael Jordan: Another basketball legend who returned to schoolis Michael Jordan. The Brooklyn-born player earned a scholarship to University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and studied cultural geography while playing basketball. One year before he was supposed to graduate, Jordan dropped out to join the NBA, where he started playing for the Chicago Bulls. In 1986, Jordan did return to his alma mater to finish his degree.