Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Meredith Marks' Son Brooks Explains Why He Took a Semester Off From School
We have a major update on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City son's college plans.
We're loving getting to know Meredith Marks and her family this season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, including her 21-year-old son, Brooks. We've actually gotten to see a lot of Brooks while he is back home during a semester off from college this season.
But some fans have apparently wondered about the real reason Brooks is home with his mom. "Did Brooks take a semester off from school so that he could be on the show with you, or what was that about? That's the speculation," Andy Cohen asked Meredith during her appearance on the December 10 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen After Show (clip above).
Meredith told Andy that was "not correct" and clarified that she actually encourages all of her children, including eldest son Reid, 23, and youngest daughter Chloe, 18, to take a semester off from college to better prepare them for the future.
"My oldest son Reid took his junior year second semester off and worked in London. Brooks chose to spend his second semester junior year developing his brand, which coincided with the show. And Chloe will take second semester junior year off as well to do something," Meredith explained. "I'm a strong proponent [of it]. It gives them an extra internship and an extra summer internship. And so I just think it positions them better in the world."
Brooks opened up more about his college journey during a recent interview with The Daily Dish. "My school experience is interesting…to say the least, I guess. I don’t know, I started school at NYU. I went there for two years, and then I did a program where I transferred to USC for a semester, which was Fall of 2019," Brooks shared. "And so then, Spring of 2020, I was planning to take a semester off because I wanted to work on my brand, and I wanted to support my mom. And it’s something my parents feel strongly about."
Brooks is now back at NYU and dealing with the challenges of learning amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. "It definitely is really interesting. NYU has some courses where they do them blended, so sometimes they meet in-person, or sometimes on Zoom, or sometimes, like, one of my classes actually has cameras in a classroom, where like, five people go in and the rest of the class chooses to do it on Zoom, which is interesting, but I didn’t want to even take any risks, so all of my classes are on Zoom," Brooks said. "But yeah, I am contemplating taking a smaller course load just because it’s just a really different college experience than what I’m used to. It’s hard to learn on Zoom, honestly."
Still, Brooks said that he is glad to be back in familiar territory as he works toward graduation. "Before transferring back to NYU, I thought it was just the best thing to do. I’ve moved a lot my entire life, so moving a lot in college was a bit overwhelming, too," he said. "But I’m nearing the end of my college degree and I’m really excited about that."
In addition to continuing to work on his clothing line, which we will see in the upcoming December 23 episode of RHOSLC, Brooks is also open to exploring other opportunities in the fashion world. "A couple modeling agencies have reached out wanting to work with me, " Brooks shared. "Which was really exciting."
The future looks bright for Brooks!
— Additional reporting by Hannah Chambers
Want more RHOSLC? New episodes air every Wednesday at 10/9c or catch up on this season through the Bravo app.
Watch a preview, below.
Photo: Brooks Marks/Instagram
