This paper was presented at the American Council on Education Invitational Conference on "Encouraging Personal Incentive for Higher Education Among Talented But Disadvantaged Youth," in Washington DC on November 1, 1959. The presentation describes a program of research directed toward the general problem of student attrition, or, from another point of view, motivation for success. The initial study concerned the plans for college of high school seniors. A second study followed up the students in the original study to find out which and how many of them actually entered college. The presentation also reports on a third study in progress.