Driven to Achieve: 40 Years of Evidence on College Students’ Skills and Aspirations

Margaret Leighton () and Jamin D Speer ()
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Margaret Leighton: University of St Andrews
Jamin D Speer: University of Memphis

No 2502, Economics Discussion Papers from Department of Economics, The University of St Andrews Business School

Abstract: The past half century has seen dramatic changes in college enrolment. In this paper, we document how the skills and aspirations of college students have also changed. Using over 40 years of data on incoming college freshmen, we establish three key facts. First, students’ goals have shifted away from the philosophical (e.g., finding meaning in life) towards the tangible (e.g., financial and family outcomes). Second, the share of students who are both of high ability and have high aspirations for tangible goals has risen steadily, with a particular increase in the 1970s and 1980s. Third, this rise is mirrored by a fall in students who, while quite strong academically, place low weight on life goals such as financial success, raising a family, or helping others.

Keywords: College; College students; Aspirations; Skills; Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I23 J11 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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