Growing up watching shows like 90210 and Boy Meets World, the audience was made a part of the gang. Even when they went off to college, it was almost like I was packing my own bags and getting ready to move into the dorms with them! 

Boy Meets World

Who can forget Mr. Feeny’s favorite students – Cory, Shawn, Eric and Topanga? It was a proud moment for their esteemed teacher when the fantastic four all went off to attend the fictional Pennbrook University.  In real life?

- Ben Savage who played Cory, the lovable curly-headed nice guy, attended Stanford University and was even a member of the Sigma Chi chapter at Stanford.

- Rider Strong who played Shawn, the bad boy slacker of the group was really no slacker at all. He attended Occidental College for two years and later transferred to Columbia University where he completed his degree.

- Will Friedle, who played funnyman prankster Eric, attended and graduated from Occidental College.

- Danielle Fishel who played Topanga, the smart, pretty girl next door. Fishel, despite her acceptance to Yale on the show, never even attended college. Last we heard, she was featured on College Humor drunkenly lip-locking with a girl at a local LaSalle bar.

One Tree Hill

Hard to believe these dramatic high school hotties began the fifth season as recent college grads, but which ones actually are college grads?

- James Lafferty who plays Nathan enrolled at Cal State Long Beach right before his debut on the show.

- Chad Michael Murray, who plays Lucas, (the show’s main heartthrob) never attended college. After graduating high school, he immediately went on to pursue his long-harbored desire to act. Funny how his character's stupidity and his overlap.

- Hilarie Burton plays Peyton, the show’s LA-bound music aficionada. Let's take a guess and say she went to Berklee School of Music to learn how to keep her notes in tune. Reality check - Burton actually attended both NYU and Fordham.

- Sophia Bush plays Brooke, the show’s fashionista and clothing store owner. She probably didn't go to college in the show, maybe she should've gone to FIDM for some real fashion know-how. Bush actually attended USC for three years and is currently an alumna of Kappa Kappa Kappa.

- Lee Norris, who was former TV nerd Minkus on Boy Meets World, plays Mouth, who after months of unemployment finally lands himself a dead-end job at a TV station. Norris, in reality, is no deadbeat, he attended Wake Forest University before shooting One Tree Hill. 

The OC

The famous Orange County residents are known for their rocking good looks and their jam-packed social calendars but can college diplomas be added to their long list of attributes?

- Mischa Barton's character Marissa gets killed before she can seek higher education. In real life, Mischa had hopes and dreams of attending the Yale School for Drama but after being rejected, briefly took some classes at RISD.

- Rachel Bilson (Summer), attends Brown University on the show, but before Bilson's big debut on the show she went to Grossmont College for a year .

- Adam Brody, who plays Seth, the show's resident nerdy cool guy, was never a nerd at all. After a short stint at a local community college, Brody dropped out to pursue his dreams of becoming a famous thespian.

- Benjamin McKenzie (Nathan), is a lot like his homestate, the lone star of the cast to have graduated from college. McKenzie attended University of Virginia where he majored in Foreign Affairs and Economics.

Dawson's Creek

When the four friends from that small town finally went off to college, it was a heart-wrenching goodbye to say the least but how many members of the cast actually left home for college?

- James Van Der Beek took on the role of Dawson, the film junkie of the clan who went on to drop out of USC. Luckily, Van Der Beek's performance was no precursor to his real life. He received a scholarship to attend Drew University and was majoring in English when he was was offered the role of Dawson Leery. Although he never finished school, he still plans on going back for his degree.

- Katie Holmes played Joey, the troubled girl-next-door and Dawson's love interest throughout the show. On the show, she held a string of odd jobs instead of going to college. Real life? Although her judgement is questionable in matters of the heart (marrying Cruise), Holmes is actually very bright and was accepted to Columbia University. She attended a summer session before calling it quits.

- Joshua Jackson played Pacey, who never went to college on or off the screen. Lucky for him, he's good looking!

- Michelle Williams played Jen, the bad ass who eventually straightened out and went off to the fictional Boston Bay College. Real life? Schooling was never much of a priority for Williams as she is a high school drop-out.

Beverly Hills, 90210

As the revamped remake of our generation's favorite hit-show begins, many are wondering where the originals are now. Unfortunately, I can't answer that, but I can tell you who went college.  As you probably know the cast of 90210 wasn't exactly a group of scholars. The only two college grads in the cast are - -Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea) who graduated from Sarah Lawrence, and

Ian Ziering (Steve) who graduated from William Paterson. As for the rest of them? Nothing but a bunch of high school and college drop-outs! Hopefully the remake will feature a smarter cast!