Raef-Ramirez/AKM-GSIAmanda Bynes is a model student.
The 27-year-old Hairspray star successfully finished her first quarter at FIDM's Orange County campus Wednesday. "She's a great student who always participated and really cared about her classes," a source exclusively tells E! News. "She really fit in and loves her school."
Bynes is thriving at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, where Lauren Conrad and Monique Lhuillier once studied. In fact, she plans to take more classes this April. "If she was offered an acting job anytime soon," the source says, "she may not take it because she's so focused on school."
The Sydney White star hasn't said much about her coursework, but she did update her Twitter followers March 1, writing, "Hi everyone! I'm busy studying at @FIDM but I want to say I love you to my fans!" She also shared a "new sketch" that is believed to be a self-portrait. "Amanda's really talented at what she does so the picture is the real deal," the source says. "She's only just beginning."
Bynes first set foot on campus in January and instantly made a splash on campus. "She was very nice, friendly and chatting with her classmates," an insider told E! News at the time. She intended to study fashion design but decided to pursue merchandise product development instead, per the insider.
It's quite a turnaround for Bynes, who completed a nearly six-month stint in rehab in December 2013. After all, 364 days ago she tweeted, "I want @drake to murder my vagina." Now that she's left New York for California and is living with her parents, Bynes is in a better place. As her lawyer said three months ago, she is "doing very well and reestablishing a close and loving relationship with her family."