¹ It also included courses in computer science, but students did not report on such courses on their entrance exam applications. (return to text)

² The research of Burkham, Lee, and Smerdon (1996) and Adelman (1999) was used extensively in guiding the development of the variable. (return to text)

³ Selectivity was determined by admitted students’ entrance exam scores. (return to text)

⁴ The “persistence track” to a bachelor’s degree is defined as maintaining uninterrupted enrollment in a 4-year institution toward a bachelor’s degree objective. It includes those who transfer between 4-year institutions without a break in enrollment. The persistence track concept was first developed by Carroll (1989) to demonstrate the optimal path to a bachelor’s degree and the adverse effects of straying from the path. (return to text)

⁵ After adjusting for the design effect, the t-value of the coefficient was 1.90. See research methodology, adjustment section for more information. (return to text)

⁶ A recent NCES report provides a detailed analysis of the experiences of "first-generation" college students-those whose parents did not attend college (Warburton, Bugarin, and Nunez 2001). (return to text)