The Maryland Higher Education Commission conducts annual surveys of talented Maryland high school seniors to learn about their college plans. This report focuses on the results of the survey of high ability students who graduated from a Maryland high school in the spring of 1998. Survey participants were asked to identify the postsecondary institution they planned to attend; the reasons that were most important in arriving at their decisions; their intended academic major; and their financial aid package. Although a majority of National Merit and National Achievement semifinalists in Maryland selected a college or university outside the state, over one-third of these students chose a Maryland campus. A greater percentage of the students who were offered a Maryland Distinguished Scholar Award stayed in the state than National Merit Scholars or National Achievement Semifinalists. A majority of the students who were offered Maryland Distinguished Scholar Awards, however, still chose an out-of-state institution. (Contains 6 tables and the survey.) (JM)