The main objective of this study was to find out a some characteristics of the freshman of the Escola de Enfermagem da Universidade de São Paulo, in 1981, and verify which were the reasons that influenced their choice of nursing as a profession. Out of the 80 entering students, 51 answered the questionnaire; 47.0% indicated nursing as their first options; 60.8% of them had, in previous years, tried other schools. The answers more often given by these students for their choice of nursing as profession were related ta: interest in biological science, willing to help people and worry with level of well-being of the population.