Factors that 1983 National Merit and National Achievement Semifinalists in Maryland felt influenced their college choice were studied. The 143 survey respondents were asked to indicate how important 22 factors were in the selection of a college. The factors covered items dealing with the characteristics of the college, efforts by the institution to contact students, and influential persons in the lives of the students. Respondents were also asked to estimate the proportion of first-year college costs (tuition and fees, room and board) that would be covered by the financial aid package offered by their college. The reasons that appeared to be instrumental in attracting the greatest number of students were related to perceived strengths of the institution and how well the institution serves its graduates. The following reasons were cited most frequently (in ascending order of frequency): the overall reputation of the school, the attractiveness of the program in the students's major, the success of the graduates in finding a job or getting into graduate or professional school, and the quality of the student body at the institution. Data are included on the responses of students who chose public and private colleges and those of students who went to out-of-state schools. In addition, students' reasons were compared by sex and race. (SW)