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While going to college is supposed to be our first major taste of adult life, it turns out that many universities can seem a heck of a lot like high school when it comes to what makes you popular—and these social pressures can totally affect young women's careers in the long run.

In a five-year study, researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California at Merced looked at 53 women who all lived on the same dorm floor their freshman year, following them as they went through college and found their first jobs. They found that, just like in high school, women were judged for choosing studying over being "cool" (i.e. attracting hot guys and getting into the "right" sorority).

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However, while partying with the cool crowd makes women popular in undergrad, it can have big implications on their careers: For example, two women who were part of the study entered college wanting to be dentists. One worked her ass off and joined the low-key, studious sorority, while the other became part of the more elite sorority. By the end of school, the gal who studied got into dental school and the other became a dental assistant, a job which doesn't require a college degree.

Of course, some women can work hard and play hard, but this study shows that there are some major benefits to combatting that unexpected college peer pressure and staying focused on the real reason you're on campus.


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