Poor Hermione.

The beautiful, talented, and INTELLIGENT Emma Watson has decided to leave Brown University. No, it’s not because she’s rethinking her academic goals. It’s because–and this is why I love her–she wasn’t able to blend in properly with her classmates.

So often, we see celebrities who love to stand out in the crowd so much that they will do basically anything to get noticed. (Just consider the number of “private” videos that have been “leaked” to the press in recent years.) That’s why it’s refreshing when a world-famous celebrity like Watson takes pains to not only try to be like everybody else, but make the decision to remove herself from an uncomfortable situation.

What’s the uncomfortable situation? Well, it just goes to show you that even at an Ivy League school like Brown, students can act stupidly. Watson, who is known to be a frequent contributor to class discussions, has apparently heard snide remarks like “Three points for Gryffindor!” when her answers are correct.

Granted, hearing a barrage of lines from the Harry Potter movies does not equate to the cruelty that a growing number of students endure as the victims of bullying, but when all you want to do is get your degree and study to be something other than a student wizard, you can’t help but feel bad for Watson.

Rumor has it that she’s looked at NYU as a possible place to transfer. Good news is that Watson isn’t going to let her academic goals fall by the wayside; she’s just going to take some time to figure out a better campus fit for her.

–Barbara Bellesi