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.