The college plans of 184 Maryland high school seniors who qualified as National Merit or National Achievement semifinalists were surveyed. Findings include the following: 58 percent of the semifinalists selected a private college and 18 percent chose a public college outside Maryland; 16 percent planned to attend Maryland public institutions, and 7 percent selected a private Maryland college; students who planned to remain in-state (particularly those going to state institutions) had a greater proportion of their expenses met by financial assistance than did students going to out-of-state schools; college choice was affected by the overall reputation of the school and the intended program of study; a greater percentage of black than white semifinalists planned to enroll at a Maryland public institution; and most of the students who decided to remain in Maryland selected either the University of Maryland-College Park (UMCP) or The Johns Hopkins University. Student recommendations included: reducing the size of the UMCP campus, adopting more honors programs, raising admission standards at state institutions, and offering more scholarships and financial aid. The Survey of Academically Talented High School Seniors questionnaire is appended. (SW)