Actress Raven-Symone has credited her latest role as a college student with giving her a new lease of life after enrolling in the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California.

The former The Cosby Show child star reveals she is embracing every aspect of life on campus and is enjoying having the opportunity to study all things creative.

In a Tv interview with Oprah Winfrey, the 28 year old says, "I'm going to college. It's given me a new lease on life...

"(I'm studying) art. I wanna take jewellery (design), I take sculpting, I take printmaking, I take figure-drawing."

And Symone admits she is proud to be back at school after successfully avoiding the pitfalls of growing up a child star.

She adds, "I want to turn over the stereotype of what I can become, and to me it (studying art) is just another extension of what I did when I was younger...

"(I'm proud) that I made it out (of Hollywood), in the sense of I'm about to be 30, I don't have a (criminal) record...! I'm good... I'm not an addict of any kind, except of new adventures."