© 2008 The Authors Journal Compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Sociology Compass 2/3 (2008): 944–962, 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008.00110.x Absurdly Ambitious? Teenagers’ Expectations for the Future and the Realities of Social Structure Chardie L. Baird 1 , Stephanie W. Burge 2 , and John R. Reynolds 3 * 1 University of Texas – Arlington 2 University of Oklahoma 3 Florida State University Abstract Expectations for achievement in the US border on the unrealistic. High school students expect to obtain better jobs and more education than current cohorts have achieved. Many youth also seem unaware of how to realize their ambitions. These findings lead to several questions about the causes and consequences of ambition. First, how do American youths’ ambitions compare with those of past cohorts and what consequences stem from rising ambitions? Second, how likely is it that youth will achieve their ambitions? What structural forces hinder or assist the goal attainment process? Finally, what cultural and institutional forces shape ambition in the United States? We review available evidence for these questions. Experts agree that the youth are overly ambitious, but debate the consequences of over-ambition. Furthermore, youth privileged by their race, class, and gender status are more likely to achieve their ambitions than less privileged youth, confirming the key sociological premise that broader social structures play an important role in whether individuals realize their dreams. ‘Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?’ – Robert Browning Why are some people more ambitious than others? How do teenagers and young adults translate their ambitions into reality? The answers to these questions vary widely in the United States. Popular media would lead us to believe that ambition is an act of will. Many psychologists view ambition as ‘achievement motivation’, a relatively stable aspect of personality whereby some individuals feel an intense need to achieve. Alternately, political demagogues and professional comedians, among others, evoke cultural stereotypes that depict some groups as innately driven and others as unmotivated. However, all of these views fail to recognize the inherently social nature of ambition: expressions of ambition and likely future achievements are informed by the social structural positions that individuals inhabit. This article highlights the contributions of sociologists to the