Career and career related preference expressed by a number of rural Southern high school youth were found to moderately predict their early adult behaviors. Preferences for post high school education were the dominant influence and single best predictor of subsequent educational attainment. Moderate linkages were also found to exist between preferences for early marriage, residence, and military service with the corresponding early adult behavior. These findings resulted from a study of a broad population of rural Deep South youth over a six year period. Three sets of social surveys followed the same individuals from the high school sophomore year in 1966 into young adulthood, four years past high school. Responses were gathered on career preferences, educational aspiration, marriage plans, and fertility and residential expectations, with the final phase of the survey seeking data on actual educational and residential attainment, marital status, and fertility. Whether male or female, Black or White, an overwhelming number of the rural youth shared the American success dream of high educational attainment and career preference. Blacks, however, consistently were less likely to enact their preferences, due to such possible causes as differential opportunity, barriers, knowledge and racism. Black rural students were more likely at both the senior year and early adult period to hold residential preferences (in effect migration preferences) to urban residences. (DS)