This report provides a picture of students who entered a university engineering program and then persisted or left the program. It examines students' mathematical-mechanical abilities, psychological-motivational aspects, support services, and perceptions of the world of engineering work. It also identifies problems that women and blacks encountered. A total of 606 responses were received from a survey mailed to 2,450 Michigan State University engineering students. Students were sorted into the following groups: persisters, changers, leavers, transfers, and first timers. The survey results are presented in terms of: (1) respondents' high school experiences (time of making career decision, factors influencing the decision, and academic preparation); (2) experiences in engineering (typical day, expectations, problems, academic performance, and support services); (3) non-persistence in engineering; (4) stereotyped images of engineers and how these relate to blacks and women; and (5) career plans. Findings showed that students leaving the program had less commitment to engineering and inconclusive career goals compared to persisters. Mathematics was the basic culprit undermining student academic progress. Women felt they were not taken seriously in the classroom, laboratory, and work place. Blacks worked twice as many hours as whites to finance their education, and study time suffered as a result. Includes seven references. (JDD)