TV

Carrie Bradshaw didn't seem to have a life before landing in New York, but the famed sex columnist did. You just need to dig for details, especially about her college.

Published on April 13, 2023

During Sex and the City’s illustrious run, we learned surprisingly little about the core four’s families. Sure, we learned a bit about Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes’ background. Still, Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha Jones’ pasts were mostly shrouded in mystery, especially any collegiate life they may have had. Believe it or not, it might not be that big of a mystery. We did learn where Carrie Bradshaw was accepted to college. Carrie was an Ivy League girl, or almost was, just like Miranda. 

Carrie Bradshaw was accepted into Brown University 

While Carrie never spoke much about her life before Manhattan, there is plenty of information to consume if you consider The Carrie Diaries as part of Carrie’s actual story. Some fans do, while others do not. If you think The Carrie Diaries is part of Sex and the City canon, then Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell’s 2011 prequel young adult novel, probably counts, too. 

If that’s the case, Carrie Bradshaw was bound for college when she was fresh out of high school. It wasn’t just any college, either. She was headed to the Ivy League. According to the book, Carrie was set to attend Brown University when the allure of New York City brought her in for a summer writing class. From there, she had to figure out if she wanted to stay in New York or pack up and head to Providence, Rhode Island, for four years. 

Where did the other ladies of ‘Sex and the City’ attend school? 

While Carrie’s collegiate career is a bit complicated, at best, thanks to the inclusion of different scenarios, things are more cut and dry for Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York. Miranda attended Law School at Harvard. Her alma mater is mentioned multiple times during the show’s six-season run. 

Charlotte York also mentioned her college career. Charlotte completed her undergraduate degree at Smith College, a prestigious private college in Northampton, Massachusetts. Samantha’s academic career is a giant question mark. While discussing Miranda’s pregnancy and abortion, Samantha mentioned attending college and living on campus but never stated where she went. It looks like we’ll never find out. 

Where did Candace Bushnell go to college? 

If Carrie Bradshaw were supposed to be Candace Bushnell’s alter ego, it would stand to reason that the fictional author would attend the same school as the real-life columnist. According to her book, that was not the case. 

Candace Bushnell attended both Rice University and New York University. In an interview with LoHud, Bushnell revealed that she “ran away from college.” The famed writer spent time at Rice University in Texas, exhausting all the writing courses they had to offer. When she finished the writing courses at the school, she packed up and left sans a degree. Bushnell immediately headed for New York City. She said her parents, who lived in Connecticut, let her figure things out for a bit before advising her to go back to college. Bushnell eventually enrolled at New York University. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLTEmqusoJWawW%2BvzqZmnqakmr%2B1rcinpJ6mpGTApsSMmqWdZaSdsm6vyK2wZq%2BYmr%2BmecOim2abkae%2FqrGMm6manKOdrrh5xqhkraddmLytuMSgnGegpKK5cA%3D%3D