This dissertation is focused on understanding the expectations, beliefs, and motivations of parental involvement during the college choice process. Many high school students are under a lot of stress and pressure influenced by a culture of achievement. This culture has created a competitive college choice process and has intensified the role of parents to help their child succeed, sometimes resulting in an unhealthy level of parental involvement. The researcher used a multi-methods approach to survey parents of 12th grade students, going through the college choice process, and whose exposure and experience to college admissions was similar based on age-appropriateness. Following the survey, parents volunteered to participate in interviews to share their experiences and provide a deeper understanding of their expectations and beliefs. The information gleaned from this study provided insight into the expectations and beliefs of parents and why and how they are involved in the college choice process using Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's theoretical model. One of the key findings from the study was how the college choice process highlights the inequities for parents whose lack of confidence may stem from their life context. Parents who are immigrants, non-native English speakers, less educated, and make less money feel less confident about their ability to support their child in the college choice process. It is the hope of the researcher that the findings of the study can benefit schools by providing insight into how to better serve, educate, and understand parents and their involvement in the college choice process. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]