This paper tested the hypothesis that certain cognitive, affective, and psychomotor variables were significant predictors of college persistence in the first few weeks of the freshman year. Data for the study involved 462 freshmen, with an average age of 18, who matriculated in the fall of 1997 at a public higher education institution; about 93 percent of the participants were male; the ethnic background of the students was 8l.5 percent white, 8.4 percent black, 5.4 percent Asian, and 3.3 percent Hispanic. About 32 percent of the participants were engineering majors, 17 percent were science majors, and 47 percent were majoring in liberal arts. Dropouts were classified into three groups and were then compared with persisters in an analysis of variance study. Logistic regression identified self-efficacy and physical fitness as positive predictors of freshman retention, while judgment and empathy were negatively associated with persistence. Three reasons were identified for freshman attrition: inability to handle stress, mismatch between personal expectations and college reality, and lack of personal commitment to a college education. Intervention strategies to prevent early withdrawal are also discussed. Four tables summarize some of the data. (Contains 22 references.) (CH)