Abbey Lindberg, junior in apparel merchandising, design and production, won’t be sitting at home studying on Thursday night.

Instead, she’ll be schmoozing with stars like Chris Rock, Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake until the wee hours of the morning at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York.

It began about a month and a half ago, when Lindbergh saw a commercial for “The Most Unforgettable 24 Hours of Your Life,” a modeling contest co-sponsored by MTV and Revlon Cosmetics, on television.

“I was watching a commercial on MTV and I heard the words ‘modeling’ and ‘New York,’ and I didn’t need to hear anything else,” Lindberg says. “I went downstairs and applied for it on the computer.”

Lindberg signed up for the contest as a joke — she never thought she would get this far. The Unionville native is still in shock from the whirlwind of events that have taken place over the last few weeks.

Lindberg was informed two weeks ago that she was a finalist, beating out more than 5,000 other applicants, and flew to New York the next day. From Aug. 10-15, Lindberg spent her time with the other two finalists, receiving makeovers, going shopping, conducting interviews and touring the Revlon headquarters.

It hasn’t stopped since.

“It’s just been so amazing and so fast and so overwhelming that it’s hard to believe,” Lindberg says. “I think it’ll kick in once I go to the VMAs.”

Lindbergh will attend the VMA awards, where the winner will be announced live at the end of the show.

The winner will receive another trip to New York, a photo shoot and a meeting with a top modeling agency. The winner will be chosen by the public, who can vote online at www.revlon.mtv.com through Thursday evening.

Lindberg says she has always wanted to be in front of the limelight, and hopes this opportunity will lead to a modeling career.

“A lot of different agencies have been getting this campaign ready since February,” Abbey Lindberg says. “I’ve heard that a lot of agencies have been watching and waiting to see the three finalists.”

Lindberg’s mother, Barbara Lindberg, says she is proud of her daughter, but says she and her husband, Brian, didn’t have anything to do with their daughter’s decision to apply for the contest.

“Abbey’s done all of this on her own,” Barbara Lindberg says. “We didn’t even know that she had [applied.]”

Lindberg, who returned to New York City on Tuesday, will fly back to Iowa Friday. She says she would leave school if a great opportunity arose.

“If it was something worth it, I definitely would [leave school,]” Lindberg says. “I could always take school off and then come back if there were some options.”

Barbara Lindberg says she is thrilled for her daughter and is excited to watch the VMAs.

“Abbey couldn’t pass this up,” she says.

Lindberg says she has had a wonderful experience, and will be happy whether she wins or not.

“This is all so wonderful,” Lindbergh says. “It’s just a dream come true.”