Even when a star is born, she still needs an education. And for Meredith Dawn Salenger, Harvard was the obvious choice.

Like Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster, teen idol Salenger has replaced Hollywood scripts with Ivy League textbooks.

"I'm really excited about education," says Salenger, who is a freshman. "I have always wanted to learn about everything."

Best known for her role as River Phoenix's mistreated girlfriend in the 1986 comedy A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, the Mower Hall resident has been called one of Hollywood's brightest and busiest new stars.

She has performed in five feature films, including the newly released thriller, The Kiss." Her newest film--Dream a Little Dream, co-starring Jason Robards, Corey Feldman and Corey Haim--is slated for release next month. And she says Paramount Pictures has agreed to produce a script she is writing.

But for now, Salenger is between acts.

While she says she plans to make movies during summer vacations--she has five offers for this June--during the school year education will be her priority.

"I'd take a semester off if an amazing part came along that I couldn't pass up," says Salenger, who won the 1984 Youth in Films award for Best Actress for her role as the title character in The Journey of Natty Gann.

"But I definitely want to graduate, if it takes me four years or 12."

The 18-year-old says she came to Harvard even though the school does not offer a concentration in drama.

"I know there's more I can learn about acting, but I think I've pretty much got the basics," Salenger says.

Instead, the Los Angeles native says she plans to concentrate in psychology because the field's emphasis on human nature will help her with acting, scriptwriting and directing--activities she says she hopes to pursue.

While Salenger says she is thrilled by the idea of four years at Harvard, her agent is less enthusiastic.

Jeff Krask says his client's decision to postpone her acting career is "okay."

"I don't know if it will be a problem," Krask says. "Her priority right now is school."