The College and Career Choices Study
Catherine J. Weinberger, University of California, Santa Barbara

The College and Career Choices Study is a longitudinal study of the factors considered by students when they make their college major and career choices, and of relationships between early choices and later outcomes, including occupation, earnings and time devoted to both family care and paid work.

Between 2002 and 2004, nearly 2000 students at 3 campuses agreed to participate in the College and Career Choices Study, and completed the base year survey.  More than 1000 of these were resurveyed 2-3 years after their initial entry into the study.  A third wave resurvey conducted in 2011-2012 received responses from nearly 700 of the original participants, 7-10 years after the base year survey.  A fourth wave resurvey is scheduled for 2014-2015 so that participants previously observed only 7 years after the base year will now be followed for a full 10 years. 

We will be sending postcards, and then surveys, to the last known address for each participant.  If this is not successful, we will also try the addresses of friends and relatives listed as contacts. All mailings will be sent first class so that they can be forwarded to participants at no charge.

If you have questions, or if you would like to update a participant mailing address, please send an email to:
careers “at” isber.ucsb.edu .  If you have not yet returned the 2014-2015 survey, I am happy to mail one to you, or a copy can be downloaded here:  CCCS

Utmost care is taken to protect confidentiality and personal information about study participants.  The procedures used meet the stringent criteria of all three participating institutions, and are reviewed by two separate committees annually.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond!

Catherine Weinberger


May 7, 2015 UPDATE:  I have more than 300 responses, but am still trying to contact the remaining participants.  I will be happy to receive your survey at any time.


November 21, 2014 UPDATE:  Surveys are being sent to last known addresses of those who have not yet responded to the survey mailed June 14, or whose responses were sent but never arrived.  Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to contribute to this study.

August 27, 2014 UPDATE:  Whether you have just gotten your survey, or it has been sitting on your desk awhile, I will be happy to receive it any time.  So far I have 251 responses.  I look forward to hearing from each participant in the study.

July 2, 2014 UPDATE:  Surveys were mailed June 14 to 405 participants.  I heard from one person whose business reply envelope was stuck shut by humidity.  If this happens to you, I am happy to send a new envelope.  Thank you to everyone who has already sent a survey back to me!


I have heard from a few participants who mislaid their business reply envelope and wanted to know the mailing address. 

The mailing address is:
Catherine Weinberger

College and Career Choices Study
ISBER-UCSB
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2150