This article examines the applicability of Ball's categorisation of ethnic minority students as contingent and embedded choosers in the context of higher education choice. Considering the role of the selective school system in shaping the educational careers of the children of Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands the study uses case studies to illustrate the interplay of social class background with the educational structure. The cases of educationally successful second-generation Turks interviewed in the city of Amsterdam clearly illustrate the significance of early tracking in regulating the educational outcomes of pupils of immigrant origin, thus determining their chances for educational advancement and social mobility. (Contains 6 notes and 2 figures.)