A study documented the expectations, experiences, and needs of eight women who entered education via Fresh Start/Return to Study courses and followed them as they moved on to further study/training. (Fresh Start was a project of the Inner London Education Authority.) A series of interviews was conducted between June 1985 and October 1986 in an open-ended question format. Findings indicated that women entered Fresh Start feeling the need for a new direction and an interest in studying, but were generally unclear about its outcomes and uncertain about their ability to go on to further study. The course helped them develop purpose and direction and gave them the confidence to continue. Relative to further education, the women found it difficult to discover study/training opportunities available to mature students; women's choice of courses was effectively narrowed by distance, child care, and financial concerns; and the shortage of places in particular courses was a major barrier. During the following year, three women continued in full-time employment due to a reluctance to leave their jobs at a time of high unemployment and hostility of their supervisors. Those who went on to courses in further or higher education faced difficulties because they had been out of the educational system for a long time and had home and family commitments. Recommendations are made to improve the quality of service offered to mature learners. (Appendixes include instruments and biographies of participants.) (YLB)