Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to confirm the predictive validity of several antecedents to students' early perceptions of future performance in collegiate courses. Design/methodology/approach: A non-experimental design was used to test a proposed model based on a review of relevant literature. Students completed surveys capturing the constructs researched. Findings: Students' internal "locus" of control predicted student perceptions of social integration, academic self concept and grade point average (GPA) and social integration significantly predicted academic self concept. Moreover, academic self concept significantly predicted early perceptions of expected grade beyond the student's current level of performance as measured by his/her current GPA. Research limitations/implications: Subjects were from one academic program in one university. Also, expected performance was measured with one item, which focused on expected grade, only one aspect of performance. Other aspects of performance and outcomes such as perceived learning or satisfaction with the course could shed more light on the relationships among the constructs under study. Practical implications: Students with an internal "locus" of control orientation can better leverage self-confidence to social and academic ends in the classroom and more readily exhibit the sustained goal-related behaviors requisite for success during transitions to college and subsequent professional placements. Also, students who are encouraged to take personal responsibility for relationships with peers and adjust behaviors are likely to maintain and enhance the quality of these relationships. Originality/value: The paper's results suggest that instructors who foster/reinforce students' concept of connections between choices and outcomes may be rewarded with enhanced student motivation to perform well in the course. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)