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The present study deals with the influence of reference groups on a student's decision to go to college and on other areas related to post-college expectations. This analysis describes a sample of women students at a private college in the Middle East. Basic conclusions are: 1) both parents are perceived by their daughters to play a very important role in the educational and occupational aspirations of their female children who go to college; 2) relatives including sisters and brothers are not perceived as a significant factor in providing direction for the college plans of students; 3) friends, teachers, and other adults are consistently overlooked as a source of guidance and support in reference to college plans; 4) the dominance of the family does not require a complete subordination of the individual; self-assertion is particularly noticeable in areas a direct concern to the student; and 5) the above patter remains the same when differences in socioeconomic and other social characteristics are considered. Theoretically, the continued reliance on the family as a primary group not permeated by the influence of secondary groups implies the solidarity of the nuclear family in the Middle Eastern society. Furthermore, membership in a group which has involved deep-seated attachments cannot be easily forgotten or destroyed. The result is very likely to be that of a great deal of dependence on family ties and bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]