Determining what factors influence high school seniors to want or not to want higher education was the focus of this 1965 pilot study wherein 1 school with an appropriate sized graduating class (ranging from 12-51) was selected from each of 16 Kansas counties categorized as either high- or low-ranking counties in terms of number of graduates going on to college. The questionnaire sent to 490 graduates (261 from the 8 high-ranking counties; 229 from the 8 low-ranking counties) was designed to cover mental ability, social expectation, individual motivation, financial ability, and propinquity. In addition, an index was used to measure status of a youth among his peers. Some results of the study indicated that (1) more seniors from high-ranking counties planned to continue their education; (2) the percentage of boys and girls who planned to go to college was about the same; (3) most seniors' fathers were farmers and the mothers were housewives, with more mothers in the high-ranking counties having other occupations; and (4) mothers in both county groups were better educated than fathers. The most frequent reason for not going to college was related to finances. It was concluded that motivation to attend college must begin at an early age. (AN)