Hot College Dropout: Anne Hathaway

Which charmingly sophisticated female star of the "Best Comedy of the Summer" never received her college diploma?

Anne Hathaway, who plays Agent 99 in Get Smart, began her collegiate career at Vassar College where she majored in English and minored in Women's Studies. In 2005, she transferred to New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study but ultimately chose acting over academics. Still, it's a wonder why Hathaway didn't ditch school sooner when she had already made it big-time four years earlier with The Princess Diaries. Subsequently after her breakthrough role, she landed major roles consistently each year. They must have caught up with her in the end--so much so, the pressure of her satanic boss Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada combined with the heavy load from her professors at NYU were enough for Hathaway to call the quits on the latter.

Despite dropping out of college, Ella Enchanted has come a long way from her Catholic-raised childhood in Millburn, NJ. From a Dickens' adaptation (Nicholas Nickleby) to several nude scenes (Brokeback Mountain), Hathaway has been working her way up in the Hollywood Biz. Apparently, she had her sights set on playing Katherine Heigl's role in Knocked Up but was against below-the-belt exposure and thought it unnecessary. Instead, she opted for Jane Austen in Becoming Jane and for Steve Carrell's co-star in the current summer flick Get Smart.

Hathaway is yet another college dropout who leaves us questioning the worth of higher education. Would she have been worse off if she actually chose the cap & gown over a Prada cocktail dress? Quite possibly, yes. Maintaining a balancing act between work and school could have sent her down in the dumps and back to battling anxiety and depression. Without flexibility, she could have been stuck with more fairytale and kid-friendly roles for the rest of her life. But because this potential nun decided she was too cool for school, she can now call herself the new face of Lancôme.

These past few years, success seemed to have come so easily for Ms. Hathaway--that is until recently, her former boyfriend Raffaello Follieri was convicted for fraud charges. But being the naturally smart cookie she is, Hathaway ditched that loser for good.