Should I forego college in favor of maximizing my prime modeling years?

It’s a question I hear a lot. I’m one of the rare few who graduated from college before I got into a serious modeling career. By 22, though, I knew my supermodel potential was pretty much zilch. Here’s my snarky reply to a Tear Sheet reader facing the dilemma of choosing one over the other: Modeling vs. School.

Tyra Banks at Harvard

And here are some surprisingly well-educated supermodels (many of whom went to school after their covergirl years): 10 Beautiful Brains

My advice? If you are signed with a strong agency and are getting a lot of work with big photographers, doing big shows—showing great promise—then perhaps postpone college for a year. But don’t wait until you’re 30. You won’t be hanging in the dorms then and having the classic college experience. It’s not worth trading, even for a Vogue cover.

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Beautiful Role Model Tyra Banks

It’s Tyra Banks’ 39th birthday today, so at the risk of OD’ing on Tyra (she’s in the previous post too), I’m picking her as an example of the kind of role model you want to emulate. Here’s a little background on what Tyra was up to way before she became the host of America’s Next Top Model.

When Tyra Banks appeared on the cover of my magazine, Tear Sheet, in 1999, she already had an endless list of campaigns, magazine covers, and acting credits, not to mention two appearances in People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” and her own beauty book—all this despite her claim: “People tell you that you have to schmooze. I haven’t schmoozed once and I am doing just fine.” From day one, Banks put being a role model at the top of her agenda. Way back in 1992, she established the Tyra Banks Scholarship for young African-American girls to attend her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She was spokesperson for the Center for Children and Families in New York. She conceived and hosted KIDSHARE, a holiday gift exchange program for needy children. When we interviewed her, she had just spoken—in fluent Spanish—to more than 3,000 teens at the Gente Nueva (New People) convention in Mexico City, tackling issues related to body image, teen sexuality, and family values.

All that before age 30. Awesome. As for all she has accomplished in her 30s, well, you may have to be superhuman to duplicate that.

The first step to changing the world: Get your face out there and make a name for yourself. Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search!

Extra tip: If you want to contribute to charities while doing your holiday shopping, sign up for a giveback.org account and download the giveback app. It costs you nothing and part of every purchase you make will go to the charity of your choice!

Read more about Giveback.org here.

I’ve talked about which profile is usually more attractive (the left), but did you know that your social media profile also factors into your modeling success?

In the past models didn’t have a voice. Often names weren’t even put to pretty faces. The models gracing covers and featured in editorials were anonymous, while designers, photographers, makeup artists, hairdressers, and stylists were credited. Now we see models getting star billing. Their names are scrawled across covers and opening spreads.

But for this kind of recognition, models are expected to have personalities. The models who have something to say—frequently, on Twitter or Facebook and the numerous up-and-coming social media sites—are the ones who stick around longer than a season. They start gathering followers and likes. They support causes and give back. They get TV shows and write books. Tyra Banks has 7 million Twitter followers!

Adriana Lima has over 2 million Facebook likes!

Even if you are just starting out, speak up—in cyberspace—and develop your voice. You’ll need it, to help you climb the supermodel ladder and to shout from the top rung once you reach it!

Check out: The 25 Most Popular Models on Social Media

Of course getting your face out there is key: Enter the Modeling Mentor Model Search

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1.  Cindy Crawford. OK, she didn’t graduate from college. Cindy left during her freshman year to pursue modeling. But, any high school valedictorian who earned a scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern deserves a spot on this list.

Cindy Crawford

2.Lily Cole. Last year, she graduated at the top of her class at Cambridge, where she studied art history. She got a “double first” (a rare honor in England) despite a double workload of classes and modeling assignments.

3. Christy Turlington. The supermodel graduated cum laude from NYU in 1999, with a B.A. in Comparative Religion and Eastern Philosophy. Now she is at Columbia pursuing a Masters in Public Health.

Christy Turlington

4. Tyra Banks. The model-turned-TV host/producer graduated from Harvard’s Executive Education Owner/President Manager Program in February, giving her Ivy League alumnus status.

Tyra Banks at Harvard

5. Brooke Shields. The Calvin Klein kid who modeled practically since the day she was born took a break from her acting career to attend Princeton in the 80s. She majored in French Literature.

Brooke Shields

6. Iman. The Somali supermodel did more than break down racial barriers in fashion. She studied political science at the University of Nairobi and speaks five languages.

Iman

7. Sasha Pivovarova. The Russian beauty studied art at the St. Petersburg Art Institute before becoming a model.

Sasha Pivovarova and her art

8. Sara Ziff. The model who co-directed the documentary “Picture Me” and recently launched The Model Alliance graduated magna cum laude from Columbia, with a degree in political science.

Sara Ziff at Columbia

9. Sophie Patitz. The younger sister of supermodel Tatjana, Sophie had a stellar modeling career in the 90s but always dreamed of saving animals. She graduated from University of London’s Royal Holloway College with a degree in zoology last year and now works for International Animal Rescue.

Sophie Patitz (Pollmann) at Royal Holloway

10. Jill Johnson. A little known model who embarked on her career after graduating with honors from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Jill has a B.A. in English Literature and now writes for some little known blog. (She would not consider herself a “Beautiful Brain”—more like a haggard mom with a sieve-like memory—but she was struggling to fill the #10 spot.)

Jill, post-graduation pre-mom (i.e. a lifetime ago)