An emotional Angelina Jolie dropped off her eldest son, Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, at Yonsei University in Seoul this week for his first year of studies.
In a video posted on Instagram, the “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” star can be seen chatting with Maddox’s classmates, confessing that she is “trying not to cry” about dropping him off.
“I leave today, today’s the day I drop him off,” Jolie explained. “It seems like a great school.”
Yonsei is regarded as one of South Korea’s top three universities, alongside Seoul National University and Korea University.
Maddox, who just turned 18, will study biochemistry at the university beginning this fall.
Earlier this month, a source told People that Maddox chose Yonsei over other universities.
“He got accepted to other universities but choose Yonsei. He has been studying the Korean language. He has lessons multiple times a week to prepare,” the source said.
The 44-year-old Oscar winner took photos with Yonsei students in her latest visit. One said that it was evident how much she cared for Maddox.
“Yesterday was such a special experience and all of us are still in a big shock! Angelina Jolie was very nice!” student Jo Won Bang told Us Weekly. “After looking through the dorms, she came to us and greeted all of us. And I was lucky enough to shake hands with her! She came toward us and had small conversations with us, and we took lots of pictures together. She really wasn’t hesitant in taking pictures with us, and I could see how much she cared for Maddox and his upcoming college life. It was a very special experience.”
Maddox is the first of Jolie and ex-husband Brad Pitt’s children. The 18-year-old’s siblings are Pax (15), Zahara (14), Shiloh (13) and twins Knox and Vivienne (11).
The video, which was posted by @xx_efu, has received more than 27,000 since Wednesday. Users praised Jolie’s courage for being away from Maddox for the very first time.
“She is so brave, I could never drop my child that far from home. You can tell it is still so hard but she puts on a strong face for her son,” one commented.
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