The Maryland Longitudinal Study (MLS) participants are categorized into one of two categories (preferred or regular admits) based on their academic experiences while at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). Preferred admits are students who earned both a high school grade point average (GPA) of "B" or higher and a combined Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score of 1000 or higher. Regular admits are students who did not meet the criteria for preferred admission and who meet one of several other criteria (high school GPA of greater than "C," combined SAT score of greater than 870, high school GPA greater than or equal to "C" and a combined SAT score greater than or equal to 400, or high school GPA greater than or equal to "D" and a combined SAT score greater than or equal to 790). How students who demonstrate high scholastic aptitude and exceptional high school academic performance fare at UMCP is examined to see if aspects of their academic experience are measurably different from those of the average UMCP student. The academic experience is discussed for the representative group and the black group, focusing on the following topics: demographic foundations; educational expectations, transition from high school to college; faculty/student interaction; self-evaluations; university assessment; and graduation rates from UMCP. Findings indicate the following: a large proportion of students in academic jeopardy did not seek tutoring; a large proportion of preferred admits in their third year at UMCP were showing signs of disengagement with the academic experience; and regardless of aptitude and high school performance, there was a tendency toward unrealistic expectations in students of both groups whose educational goals at the time of their freshman year involved going on to professional school after earning the baccalaureate. Four data tables are included. (SM)