BECAUSE OF DECREASING ENGINEERING ENROLLMENTS AND INCREASING ATTRITION RATES, FACTORS RELATED TO PERSISTENCE OR CHANGE IN MAJOR FIELD BY ACADEMICALLY PROFICIENT STUDENTS WERE STUDIED. THE SAMPLE, COMPOSED OF MALE STUDENTS ENTERING AS FRESHMEN AT THREE MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITIES, WAS SUBSEQUENTLY IDENTIFIED AS PERSISTERS OR NON-PERSISTERS. NON-PERSISTERS WERE DEFINED AS STUDENTS WITH AT LEAST A "C" AVERAGE WHO HAD CHANGED TO A NON-ENGINEERING MAJOR DURING THEIR FRESHMAN OR SOPHOMORE YEARS. PERSISTERS AND NON-PERSISTERS WERE MATCHED ACCORDING TO ACADEMIC POTENTIAL. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED AND AN INTERVIEW CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF PRE-COLLEGE AND COLLEGE EXPERIENCES INFLUENCING EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL PLANNING. STATISTICALLY, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND BETWEEN PERSISTERS AND NON-PERSISTERS. NON-PERSISTERS MORE FREQUENTLY CAME FROM LOWER MIDDLE CLASS HOMES AND WERE GRADUATED FROM CENTRAL CITY OR NON-METROPOLITAN HIGH SCHOOLS. THEY ALSO ATTACHED MORE IMPORTANCE TO SOCIAL STATUS, PRESTIGE, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH PEOPLE RATHER THAN THINGS. THE AGE AT WHICH SUBJECTS FIRST CONSIDERED A CAREER IN SCIENCE OR ENGINEERING WAS FOUND INVERSELY RELATED TO PERSISTENCE IN AN ENGINEERING PROGRAM. WIDESPREAD DISSATISFACTION EXISTS AMONG PERSISTERS AND NON-PERSISTERS ABOUT THE HIGHLY STRUCTURED AND INFLEXIBLE ENGINEERING CURRICULA. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE BASED UPON THE FINDINGS. (SK)