Tom Cruise's Daughter Suri Achieved What Barron Trump Never Will At College

Being the child of a world famous public figure is a challenging balancing act between enjoying a regular life with friends and avoiding the pitfalls of being on the periphery of the spotlight. When it comes to Suri Cruise — the daughter of Tom Cruise and lookalike mom Katie Holmes — moving out of the house and going to college is the latest test of her ability to walk that tightrope of privacy and fame. However, unlike some other high-profile college students, she's managed to infuse quite a bit more normalcy into the experience.

Suri first moved into the dorms at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania back in August 2024. The 18-year-old freshman was accompanied by her doting mom on move-in day, although it seems like it was yet another major milestone missed by her famous father. (He was too busy enjoying some time in the Mediterranean around then.) After moving in, Suri managed to stay off the radar during most of her entire freshman year and wasn't even spotted again until May 2025, where she was photographed seemingly taking out the trash like a normal, average person outside her mom's apartment building in New York City.

Needless to say, this sort of low-key college experience was a far cry from the well-known day-to-day challenges faced by Donald Trump's son, Barron Trump. Barron also started his college adventure in 2024, when he began his freshman year at New York University. However, Barron's time in college has been the source of many rumors, and has been far from normal or low-key, with the constant presence of Secret Service and some very strict rules about how Barron is allowed to interact with his friends.

Since he began his time at New York University, Barron Trump's time in college has been beyond awkward thanks to the presence of the Secret Service. Agents have been working around the clock to keep him safe in class — even going so far as to security screen his fellow classmates and friends. One unnamed student told The Daily Mail in September 2024, "There were several guards outside the door before class and we had to show them our IDs." Additionally, the student said that many people were trying to take photos with Barron, without harassing him.

It's also been a challenge for Barron to communicate with his new college pals. Due to being POTUS's son, he cannot simply hand out his number to people (although his powerful father seems to have no issues answering calls from random numbers). Instead, he's had to connect with his friends on XBox and Discord, an app that is the preferred method of communication for avid video gamers. Additionally adding to the unusual freshman experience, Barron does all his Discord chatting and gaming from the comfort of his off-campus housing, Trump Tower.

Suri Cruise, meanwhile, lived in an on-campus dorm for her freshman year and accomplished a nearly impossible feat for the child of celebrities: she's kept her private life under wraps like any other average college student. It's likely due to mom Katie Holmes' efforts to shield her from the spotlight during her tumultuous childhood. As Katie told Glamour in 2023, "What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her. I'm very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She's an incredible person."