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On the relationship between student tastes and motivations, higher education decisions, and annual earnings

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  • Hilmer, Michael J.
  • Hilmer, Christiana E.

Abstract

We examine the degree to which measures of student tastes and motivations are associated with the outcomes of three important higher education decisions and subsequent annual earnings. Within a sample of nearly 9000 students from the Baccalaureate and Beyond, we find that these measures are correlated with college type, college major, and highest postgraduate degree earned in generally predictable ways. For instance, students claiming it important to be well-off financially are significantly more likely to attend top public universities and major in Business or Engineering while students claiming it important to live near family are significantly less likely to attend top quality private institutions and significantly more likely to major in education.

Suggested Citation

  • Hilmer, Michael J. & Hilmer, Christiana E., 2012. "On the relationship between student tastes and motivations, higher education decisions, and annual earnings," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 66-75.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:31:y:2012:i:1:p:66-75
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2011.09.004
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    Cited by:

    1. Sana Sellami & Dieter Verhaest & Walter Nonneman & Walter Van Trier, 2020. "Education as investment, consumption or adapting to social norm: implications for educational mismatch among graduates," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 26-45, January.
    2. Deniz Gevrek & Z Eylem Gevrek & Cahit Guven, 2015. "Benefits of Education at the Intensive Margin: Childhood Academic Performance and Adult Outcomes among American Immigrants," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 41(3), pages 298-328, June.
    3. Jerrim, John & Shure, Nikki & Wyness, Gill, 2020. "Driven to Succeed? Teenagers' Drive, Ambition and Performance on High-Stakes Examinations," IZA Discussion Papers 13525, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Dirk Witteveen & Paul Attewell, 2022. "Black-White incentive inequality for college persistence," Rationality and Society, , vol. 34(2), pages 155-184, May.
    5. Renee Reichl Luthra & Jennifer Flashman, 2017. "Who Benefits Most from a University Degree?: A Cross-National Comparison of Selection and Wage Returns in the US, UK, and Germany," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 58(8), pages 843-878, December.
    6. Lee Pugalis & Anna Round & Tony Blackwood & Lucy Hatt, 2015. "The entrepreneurial middle ground: Higher education entry decisions of aspiring entrepreneurs," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 30(5), pages 503-519, August.
    7. Berlingieri, Francesco & Zierahn, Ulrich, 2014. "Field of study, qualification mismatch, and wages: Does sorting matter?," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-076, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    College major choice; College type choice; Postsecondary attendance; Student tastes and motivations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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