In 1991, a survey was conducted at California's Sierra College (SC) to determine the types of students enrolling in algebra classes and to explore their attitudes about mathematics. The student population surveyed consisted of all students enrolled in 27 algebra class sections on the SC campus. The survey focused on students' reasons for enrolling in the algebra class, learning preferences and practices, math anxiety/reflexes and attitudes, self-description of academic ability, world view, and background information. After the elimination of unusable responses and extreme data, the final data results were based on 786 returns. The groups of students identified by their responses to survey questions included the math anxious, the underprepared, the re-entry, the underrepresented, the vocational, the transfer, and the single parent. In all, 14 group reports were generated. Study findings included the following: (1) a comparison of student and faculty responses indicated that the faculty were more critical of their students than the students were of each other; (2) younger students had higher levels of anxiety and more negative attitudes toward math than older students; (3) students perceived "mastery learning" as an important element in learning the material, suggesting that faculty should experiment with alternative teaching strategies and environments and try to match them to the needs of the student; and (4) overall, a "helpful teacher" was seen by the student groups as an important contributor to success in algebra. Appendixes provide the survey instrument and tabulated data descriptions of each of the 14 student groups identified in the survey. (JMC)