The Aspirations and Experiences of Undergraduates, 2000

This study is not yet available for use. The purpose of this study was to observe changes over time in the aspirations and expectations of undergraduate students at a highly selective university in the northeast. The study explored how the experiences of the participants affected their attitudes about themselves and their career and family formation plans. The sample consisted of 801 male and female undergraduate students, 477 freshmen and 324 seniors. The participants attended a competitive, private university in the northeastern United States. The sample was predominantly White and from middle- to upper- socioeconomic backgrounds. Data collection occurred between February and May of 2000. The students were mailed a self-administered questionnaire to complete and return. The students were informed that upon receipt of the completed questionnaire, they would be entered in a lottery drawing for a chance to win a gift certificate. The initial mailing was followed by postcard and telephone call reminders. Topics addressed include academic interests, career aspirations, parents' work history, perceived roles of men and women in society, self-esteem, attitudes, future academic, occupational and marital plans, and concerns about future Career-Marriage Conflict (CMC). Measures include items from the Trait Anxiety Scale (TAS; Spielberg, 1983), the Self-Rating Inventory (Zuckerman, 1982), the Attitudes towards Women Scale (AWS; Spence, Helmreich and Stapp, 1973) and the Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1967). The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study. If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data.