College simply isn’t for everyone and it certainly wasn’t for these next 10 celebrities. Going to college is a great thing to do for people who have a specific idea of what they want their future career path to look like. College can be very helpful and informative helping students learn new things that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to learn.

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The argument against college is that things students learn inside classrooms can also be learned in the real world too-- in ways that are actually a lot better and more hands-on! When it comes to the acting industry, sometimes all it takes is getting hands-on experience rather than going to school trying to study the art of it all.

11 Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal decided college wasn’t for him after attending Columbia University from 1998 to 2000. While he was a student there, he studied cultural studies and religion. Instead of sticking around and waiting until he reached graduation day, he decided to drop out so that he could focus on acting instead. Obviously, things paid off for him because he is now a highly successful actor.

10 Reese Witherspoon

Another talented and well-known actress on this list is Reese Witherspoon who was a student at Stanford University in 1994. She was an English Lit major but knew that it wasn’t right for her. She obviously didn’t stay for too long because she knew deep down that acting was the right path for her. She ended up dropping out after one year of school to pursue a career in acting as her full-time job.

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8 Madonna

The queen of pop from the 80s, Madonna, was once a college student at the University of Michigan. She attended the school on a dance scholarship which makes a lot of sense because she is one of the most rhythmic dancers out there, even though she’s getting older. Despite her age creeping up, she is still keeping up with artists that just got started this year! She decided to drop out of college during her sophomore year to move to New York City.

7 Lady Gaga

She might be known for wearing wild costumes and crazy-looking wigs but Lady Gaga actually used to be a student in college before making it big as a pop musician in the music industry today. She also revealed what a great actress she is in A Star is Born with Bradley Cooper.

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She began attending The Tisch School of the Arts connected to New York University when she was only 17 years old. After only two years in the program, she knew that it was time for her to drop out and pursue bigger and better things.

6 James Marsden

A lot of people recognize James Marsden from his time playing cyclops in the X-Men movie franchise and a lot of other people recognize him from his time playing the love interest in countless romcoms. Before making it big as an actor, he was studying broadcast journalism at Oklahoma State University. That means that if he had continued down that path, he could’ve been a news anchor rather than a famous actor.

5 Salma Hayek

It’s hard to picture Salma Hayek doing anything else other than acting but back in the day, she was pursuing a degree in political science at the National University of Mexico. Her concern for social issues obviously pushed her in the right direction with her academic choices but the fact that she has such an undeniable star quality is what allowed her to be the star that she is today.

4 Vin Diesel

Once upon a time, Vince Diesel was a college student at Hunter College. While he was there, he studied literature but he was obviously unsatisfied with what he was doing. Instead of finishing out four years of college filled with homework, lecture halls, exams, and more, he decided to drop out of school entirely in order to pursue a career as an actor. It was the right choice for him to make. Fast forward to 2018 and he's been awarded an honorary degree.

3 Ashton Kutcher

These days, Ashton Kutcher is known for being such a good person with a huge heart, donating to charitable organizations, and leaving his mark on history as a philanthropist. What most people know him for is his career as an actor though.

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Before philanthropy and acting, Ashton Kutcher studied school at the University of Iowa as an engineering major. He only stuck around in college for about one year before he dropped out and started modeling. His modeling career turned into an acting career.

2 Ben Affleck

Back in 1990, Ben Affleck enrolled in school at the University of Vermont. At the time that he enrolled, he thought that it was the right thing for him. By the end of his first semester, he realizes that he was very wrong! He decided to drop out and brilliantly join forces with Matt Damon to create the 2013 film Good Will Hunting. The movie ended up being such a hit success that Ben Affleck is revered as an actor these days.

1 Brad Pitt

Trying to picture Brad Pitt as anything other than a successful actor is just weird. His being an actor just makes sense! He knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to getting in front of the camera for various movie roles. Back in the day between 1980 to 1986, he was a student at the University of Missouri. He was a journalism major with a concentration in advertising. He was also part of a fraternity called Sigma Chi. He was only two credits away from earning his degree when he chose to drop out.

NEXT: 10 Celebs Who Dropped Out Of High School (& What They’re Worth Today)