This paper is based on a longitudinal study, following a representative sample of 9,762 Norwegian youngsters over five years, from lower through upper secondary school. Register data and survey data is collected biannually, starting in March 2002, when they were 10th grade pupils in mandatory secondary school. In the paper, we use results from a multivariate analysis of a wide range of variables in order to identify the basis for individual choice of upper secondary education. Sociology of education has a long tradition for underlining the importance of social structures for individual school enrolment and accomplishments (Boudon 1974). However, following recent sociological theories on the post-traditional modernity (Giddens 1991, Beck 1992), one would expect educational careers to become less dependent on social background and gender roles. Perspectives of individualization pictures the educational choice as a choice of future, a means of identity building, disconnected from the standards set by previous generations. Options are as open as the educational system allows. The Norwegian government aims at bringing the educational system in the world elite when it comes to breadth of recruiting. Every 16- year-old has a statutory right to three years of upper secondary education. In line with an individualization perspective, we would anticipate to find Norwegian youngsters choosing among larger amounts of education more freely than their predecessors. However, our data gives evidence of the opposite: Despite very few structural restrictions on the supply, educational choice seems heavily dependent upon the pupils' gender and social origin. Moreover, the counting resource when it comes to achieving preferred study branch, school achievements, is unevenly distributed. The grades rely on the parents' educational level. Further, grades are considerably reproduced from lower throughout upper secondary school. The 10th graders selection of study branch in upper secondary education reflects a social hierarchy. The logistic regression shows that pupils picking from the high shelf, typically are highly ambitious, well-achieving youth from well-educated families, preferring private schools or schools abroad. The same is true for pupils planning a general theoretical education in public Norwegian schools.The ones opting for vocational education generally have lower ambitions, achieve poorer and come from less educated families. The youth who leave upper secondary school early score lowest on family background, own ambitions and school attainments. The gender differences consists in that girl generally perform better than boys in lower secondary school, and that social class seems to have a stronger impact on the vocational plans of females. Girls from less educated families are more inclined to choose a vocational track than their fellow boys, and vice versa: Girls with well educated parents are more disposed to prefer a general track. This may indicate that boy's life-stories more than the girl's are removed from given determinations and placed in their own hands.However, to a significant extent, the paths to employment and higher education are structured by class and gender. The European Union has initiated several efforts and programs the last years, promoting the importance of investing in the EU populations' qualifications. Our data suggest that there may be a long road ahead. Norwegian educational policy has been grounded on egalitarian values for decades. Still, educational choices and the probability to quit school seem severely biased.