Mary Chapin Carpenter: Brown University, Class of 1981

This Grammy winner boasts a degree in American Civilization from an Ivy League school. Mary Chapin graduated from Brown University, which is historically ranked among the top 20 colleges in the U.S. and only accepts about nine percent of its applicants. Initially only considering music as a hobby, the New Jersey native performed at campus coffee houses at Brown but used her degree to score a job with R.J. Reynolds' philanthropic organization, where she worked to help human rights efforts in Central America and South Africa.