High-school seniors have only until May 1 to decide where they will go to college. While it is still too soon to tell if widespread predictions that seniors will flock to lower-cost institutions were accurate, two new surveys and conversations with guidance counselors suggest that the economic situation is indeed playing a large role in students' decisions. A new studentPOLL survey found that the recession has caused one in six collegebound students to change their college plans. The effects were most pronounced among lower-income students: 29% of students from families with household incomes of $40,000 or less said their college plans had changed, compared with 16% of those from middle-income families (between $40,000 and $100,000) and 10% of high-income families (more than $100,000). As a result of the tough economy, 41% of the respondents said they were more seriously considering a public university or college close to home. A number of high-school counselors say that more of their students applied to public institutions. Students are pursuing other lower-cost alternatives as well. Fifteen percent of survey respondents said they had given much more thought to attending a community college or other two-year institution. About 21% of survey respondents said they were thinking much more seriously about living at home and commuting to college. And 28% said they were giving much more thought to colleges with reputations for granting large financial-aid awards. A survey conducted by Maguire Associates, an education-consulting firm, in February and March similarly showed that economic factors are affecting the college-search process. The survey found that about 72% of high-school seniors agreed somewhat or strongly with the statement "I am more likely to consider attending a public college or university due to the recent economic downturn." About 61% of seniors and 64% of seniors' parents said concerns about the economy "somewhat" or "greatly" affected the colleges to which students applied.