(Lady) Gaga for College?

October 5th, 2009

Whether or not you are a fan of Lady Gaga and her music, you’ve got to admit that the woman is a pop culture phenomenon. From her garish performance at the MTV Music Awards to her catchy dance tunes (I admit getting the lyrics to “Love Game” stuck in my head at the most inopportune times), Lady Gaga is kind of a big deal these days.

And to think it all started at New York University.

That’s right. Leotard- and thigh-high-boot-clad Lady Gaga was once a student at NYU. As a precocious 17-year-old, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta wowed the admission counselors at the CAP21 musical theatre program at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts and was awarded early entry. The word on the street is that back then, Stefani was too pop music-y for Broadway and too theatrical for the record labels, so you’ve gotta give her props for finding a happy medium.

Lady Gaga’s musical theatre background is clearly evident in her onstage antics, and NYU would be proud to claim her as an alumna, but alas, Germanotta withdrew from college to follow her dreams of stardom, and the rest is history.

I wonder what Lady Gaga looked like as she headed to class in Greenwich Village back in the day. Something tells me that she wasn’t the college sweatshirt kind of gal, but I like to think of her as having at least an NYU tee shirt stashed somewhere in her closet. Did she live in the dorms? Did she order food with friends? Did she grab a venti at Starbucks before heading off to class? I know I’m having trouble separating Lady Gaga from Stefani Germanotta, but for some reason, I can only picture her in a concert hall, not a lecture hall.

It’s not surprising to hear that megastars dropped out of college to pursue their art, though equally surprising are the A-listers who do matriculate and even go back for grad school. And while I’m sure that Lady Gaga doesn’t regret her decision as she prepares to launch her concert tour next year, I can’t help feel bummed that she didn’t finish what she started.

–Barbara Bellesi

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