Kristen Bell

Originally posted February 10, 2006

Kristen Bell, former star of Veronica Mars, has landed spots on other television shows like Gossip Girls and Heroes, where she currently plays an electrifying femme fatale. Bell tells U.S. News about her years at New York University, where she developed her love for the theater while enjoying life in the Big Apple.

Name: Kristen Bell
Occupation: Actress
College attended: New York University
Major: Theater
Graduation date: With just a few credits shy of graduation, I made the decision to leave my junior year because I was given the amazing opportunity to do a Broadway show. I plan to return to NYU to complete my degree as soon as I can move back to New York City.
Academic awards: My junior year of college, I applied for an honors-level transfer track and was accepted to a more advanced program called the "experimental theater wing."
Nickname: Annie
Favorite drink/midnight snack: Diet Dr. Pepper and Easy Mac and Cheese (I eat much healthier now).

How/why did you choose your major?
I love performing, singing, and the theater. It was the perfect way to combine all three.

Activities (sports, music, clubs, theater?)
Seeing every show New York City had to offer! 

Do you keep in touch with any of your college friends?
Of course! They are the funniest people I know!

What was your favorite hangout spot?
Central Park. I used to read and play Frisbee in Sheep's Meadow.

Were you a bookworm or a slacker?
It depended on the day...I never could decide.

Who was your role model when you were in college?
Any and all leading ladies on Broadway. Rebecca Luker, Randy Graff, Cherry Jones, Idina Menzel, and Kristin Chenoweth.

What was the biggest obstacle you overcame in college?
Balancing my schedule (and life) as a real adult.

Tell us about one thing you did in college that still makes you proud.
I was part of Students for a Free Tibet.

What did you like most about your school?
Most: That it was located in New York City.

Tell us one way in which college changed you.
I had the chance to study with a group of vulnerable actors, which enabled me to grow as a performer, in turn giving me the confidence to take risks in my career and the characters that I portray.

If you could go back, what about college would you do differently?
I would have taken more academic courses. College has so much to offer. When you're enrolled as a student sometimes it's hard to see this clearly when presented with so many influences and choices.

What were two things you did for the first time while in college?
I started "collecting" the individual packets of ketchup, soy sauce and salt from various food establishments

Schools applied to:
NYU was my first choice.

Got in:
I applied for early admission [to NYU] and was admitted, so nothing else was necessary.