Gertrude Stein was admitted as a special student to Harvard Annex, which later became Vassar College, in 1893. She studied psychology with William James and graduated magna cum laude in 1898. Stein then studied medicine at Johns Hopkins for four years but left without a degree after difficulty with her last year of courses. Over her career, Stein wrote several notable works including Three Lives, Tender Buttons, The Making of Americans, and The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. She received recognition from the French government for her service.