( CNN ) -- Emma Watson may have wanted to just blend in when she started her freshman year recently at Brown University , but it seems not everyone has the same idea . `` Harry Potter '' actress Emma Watson is an incoming freshman at Brown University in Rhode Island . The actress , best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the `` Harry Potter '' films , showed up last week at the Ivy League school in Providence , Rhode Island , where new students were treated to orientation activities before the official start of classes on Wednesday . Watson was photographed looking very relaxed in jean shorts and a white T-shirt , but reports are that her introduction to academia has been less than low-key , with much excitement being stirred by her presence . The blog Just Jared reported that while the British actress visited the campus on Friday with her mother and her boyfriend , Jay Barrymore , Twitter user @ cupcakenar sent out the following tweet : `` My dad made Emma Watson mad by taking a photo of her going inside the Financial Aid office at Brown . She was with her mom & boyfriend . '' Celebrities furthering their education are not new , but with the advent of social networking sites , stars ' every move can be tracked and reported . When actor James Franco apparently fell asleep during a lecture at Columbia University in New York City earlier this year , a photo snapped by a classmate made the rounds online and prompted many a tweet . Franco , who has appeared in films such as `` Spiderman '' and the critically acclaimed `` Milk , '' was reported to be taking classes at Columbia and New York University while also writing a book . Paparazzi were on high alert when Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen began attending classes at NYU in 2004 . Photos appeared constantly of the tiny twosome -- often with bodyguards in tow -- on their way to and from class after they moved from Los Angeles to New York City for school . Stars such as Julia Stiles , who enrolled in Columbia , and Natalie Portman , who attended Harvard , have tried to be as under the radar as possible while pursuing their education . According to a 2003 article about Portman in the university 's Harvard Crimson newspaper , the `` Star Wars '' actress lived on campus her freshman and sophomore years while pursuing a degree in psychology . Portman told the college publication that she was able to enjoy her time as a student , despite her celebrity status . `` At the beginning of college I was talking to people who were actors who had gone to college , and I heard awful stories about people getting 200 visitors a year knocking on their dorm room , or having awful stalker issues , '' Portman said . `` But I 've not been bothered once , and that 's also thanks to the police here , who have been really wonderful . '' Watson also has been quoted as saying she just wants to be treated as a regular student . `` I do hope that it will be only a short time before I am known as Emma Watson the student from the UK , rather than Emma Watson who starred in the 'Harry Potter ' films , '' Watson said . The `` Harry Potter '' actress is n't the only famous student taking her seat at an Ivy League school this year . The Boston Globe reported that actress Ashley Judd has enrolled in Harvard 's Kennedy School 's Mid-Career Master in Public Administration program and asked officials to take additional measures to ensure her privacy . The paper reported that school officials complied , including having the registrar put a privacy block on Judd 's file to prevent information about the actress from being made public and arranging to have Harvard police present during the program 's coffee breaks . In speaking with the Boston Globe , Brown University 's director of communications Mark Nickel declined to confirm that Watson was a student there , but he did say the school might take extra precautions to protect a young wizard . ''We do whatever we need to do to ensure safety and privacy , and that applies pretty much to all students , '' Nickel said .
British actress Emma Watson participated in freshman orientation at Brown . The school is the first to offer a program for students who are transgender. Stars such as James Franco and Natalie Portman have also gone Ivy League . Boston Globe reports actress Ashley Judd asked Harvard to protect her privacy .