This study examined the influence of class and gender in the experience of African American college students at Howard University (Washington, D.C.) and Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). The study used interviews with 25 Black students, all but one of whom identified themselves as African American. Preliminary analysis of the interviews with women in the study found that women who had no difficulty with their college and post-college experience tended to be those who had been brought up by single parents suggesting that financial considerations pressured them to complete school and move into stable employment quickly. The male participants fell into two categories, those who entered unsure of their majors or careers but finished on time and moved directly to work or graduate study and those who entered knowing their major who also pursued graduate degrees or jobs related to their major after finishing college on time. Overall the data suggest that options and college and post-college experience were constrained by gender expectations and financial resources. Anecdotal evidence also indicated that gender expectations complicated the lives of some participants. (JB)