In this paper, we estimate a rich model of college major choice using a panel of experimentally-derived data. Our estimation strategy combines two types of data: data on self-reported beliefs about future earnings from potential human capital decisions and survey-based measures of risk and time preferences. We show how to use these data to…

Following human capital theory, the investment in education should result in wage gains over time and increased productivity. Thuswise, some governments became more active in stimulating citizens into pursuing advanced degrees by introducing loans and other support schemes. British policy makers went further by first launching graduate loans for…

We use the method of Dominitz and Manski [1996. Eliciting student expectations of the return to schooling. "Journal of Human Resources" 31, no. 1: 1-26] to solicit anticipated wage distributions for continuing to a master degree or going to work after completing the bachelor degree. The means of the distributions have an effect on…

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate some of the contradictory outcomes for community college students. I investigated whether community colleges lower their students' aspirations and make students less likely to be socially involved if they transfer to four-year institutions. Furthermore, I tested whether there were significant…

The authors describe job market experiences of new PhD economists, 2007-10. Using information from PhD programs' job candidate Web sites and original surveys, they present information about job candidates' characteristics, preferences, and expectations; how job candidates fared at each stage of the market; and predictors of outcomes at…

While there is an extensive literature on intergenerational transmission of economic outcomes (education, health and income for example), many of the pathways through which these outcomes are transmitted are not as well understood. We address this deficit by analysing the relationship between socio-economic status and child outcomes in university,…

A large proportion of the gender wage gap is usually left unexplained. In this paper, we investigate whether the unexplained component is due to misspecification. Using a sample of recent UK graduates, we introduce variables on career expectations and character traits, variables that are typically not observed. The evidence indicates that women…

Analysis of 600 work diaries from engineers who graduated 1979-90 found the following: 35% had cooperative education experience; only 33% worked for their co-op employer; co-op graduates entered work at the same level and were promoted at the same pace as others, except those with no prior career-related experience; and co-op graduates had an…

We report the results of an experiment designed to elicit students' subjective beliefs about the economic returns to college education. An important feature of our experimental design is the inclusion of financial incentives for accurate reporting. We also consider the extent to which individuals' beliefs about their own returns differ from their…