This study examined college students' views of their "academic possible selves," how these possible selves vary by social group, and how students view the chance of becoming that possible self and the importance of and their power to attain that possible self. Participants were 126 college students enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course at a large southwestern research university. Women comprised 49 percent of the sample and ethnic minorities constituted 39 percent. Students' positive and negative possible selves were assessed using an open-ended protocol in which they were asked to think of what they were like in terms of academics and to list three positive possible selves and three negative possible selves. Participants also rated each self-schema's importance and reported how efficacious they felt about attaining positive possible selves and avoiding negative possible selves. Finally students estimated the likelihood of hoped-for and feared possible selves. Results yielded a diverse and complex array of self-conceptions. The open-ended technique appeared to be effective. Patterns of possible selves varied by gender and ethnicity. Females appeared to place very high importance on possible selves relating to effort and achievement but reported lower levels of efficacy (compared to males) in avoiding feared possible selves. (Contains 23 references.) (JB)