Twenty-one women who were full- or part-time returning students of higher education in England, most at the Dorset Institute, were interviewed about their secondary schooling, age of leaving school, reason for disappointing examination results, career guidance given at school, parental influence, career aspirations, first job after leaving school, domestic circumstances, work after childbearing, qualifications between school and degree, age at which they commenced degree education, and reasons for studying for a degree. The study found that most of the women had not done well at school, had received very little support from either parents or career advisors, and had found themselves hampered in their efforts later in life by the domestic considerations of children, husbands, and mobility, or if single or childless, by the financial necessity of supporting themselves. All the women were intelligent and capable of carrying out higher level positions, and all were prepared to work hard to escape the dead-end jobs to which they were otherwise restricted. The study concluded that those who pursued full-time courses were able thereafter to enter female-oriented work such as teaching or social work later in life. Those who were doing part-time degree work have not had their efforts rewarded to date. None of the women found it easy to undertake higher education alongside their other obligations. According to the study, it appears that underachievement early in life can only be overcome by a successful juggling act that balances hard work with domestic constraints and is undertaken with a great deal of determined effort and sustained by outside support. (KC)