The article analyzes the attitude of modern students to study and future professional activity. The survey of students studying in a number of universities of the Central Federal District was carried out in 2022. It was found that girls have higher academic performance than boys, if you look at the presence of the assigned scholarship. At the same time, we see that there are more girls who do not receive a scholarship and work in their free time than boys who do not receive a scholarship. It was also revealed that the higher the level of education of the respondents’ parents, the more likely it is that their children systematically improve their educational level (visit the library and scientific sites on the Internet, systematically do homework, etc.). It is established that the part of students who study only “excellent”, entered the university consciously. Girls mostly spend more time preparing for classes than boys. At the same time, it was found that girls from families who belong to high-resource groups spend more time preparing for classes than boys from high-resource groups. Girls in the majority are less likely to miss classes than boys. At the same time, it was revealed that girls from low-resource groups miss classes less than girls from high-resource and medium-resource groups. Revealed: only those who study at “excellent” are satisfied with their level of grades. In addition, the lower the academic performance, the higher the dissatisfaction with grades. At the same time, girls are more dissatisfied with their academic performance than boys. Only one quarter of boys and one third of girls noted that they like their future profession, and they plan to work after graduation in the field of study. But the results of a survey of students from RANEPA showed that, unlike students of regional reference (classical) universities, they are more satisfied with the chosen field of study and plan to work on the diploma they have received. In addition, it became obvious that girls and boys have fundamentally different ideas about how to achieve success in work. Most girls, unlike boys, believe that communication skills, constant willingness to study and knowledge of foreign languages are needed for success in the profession. A significant part of young men believe that the main thing is loyalty to the organization (the authorities). It is worrying that most girls and half of boys believe that their careers are directly influenced by connections (the right people). Measures aimed at improving career guidance are proposed.