Each year, more and more high school graduates apply to college and many won’t be going to their first choice school because of increasingly competitive applicant pools. One reason that today’s admissions landscape is so competitive is that many students and their parents tend to gravitate toward the same schools. Need an example?

According to the 2007 Princeton Review "College Hopes & Worries Survey" of 4,594 college applicants and 1,260 parents of applicants (5,854 people overall), the "dream college" students most wish they could attend is New York University, while parents most wish their kids were headed to Stanford. It’s safe to say that both schools see an impressive number of applications and, as you’d expect with so many applicants, have to turn down many disappointed students. It’s a fact of life: Taxes will rise, fashions will change, and more and more students will apply to college every year. While this makes for some serious competition for limited spots, it does not mean that you can’t find your dream school--it just takes a little research.

Forty-five percent of students and parents surveyed expect their total college cost (four years of tuition, room and board, fees, books, and other expenses) to add up to more than $100,000. Needless to say, this kind of cash isn’t easy to come by, and financial considerations are extremely important when it comes to selecting the right college for you. Sure, the prestige of having a big-name school on your résumé is great, but it won’t matter if you can’t afford the paper to print it on.

Fifty percent of students and 51 percent of parents agree that financial aid (education loans, scholarships, or grants) will be extremely necessary to help pay for college. With the rising cost of higher education, paying for college is becoming an increasingly large challenge for many students. Now more than ever, students and their families must find schools that provide an excellent education at a reasonable cost. In fact, 33 percent of the college-bound worry that they will get into their first-choice college, but won't have sufficient funds or financial aid to attend--that is why doing research before applying and making sure you can not only study what you want, but afford to study it, is so important.

Don’t forget that college is as much about social atmosphere and location as it is about academics and cost. Do you want hopping urban nightlife or rural serenity, weekends at the beach or Sundays with snowshoes? Would you prefer a big school or a small school? Big schools have more diverse student populations, a ton of extracurricular activities, and gargantuan libraries. They also have a lot of classes to choose from, though they can be huge and impersonal, and the administration can be a tangle of red tape. Small schools, by contrast, have smaller classes--and also fewer of them. Students are taught by real professors (not TAs, as you often find at large schools) in intimate classroom settings. You’ll also know most people in your class--if not most on campus!--which can offer great opportunities for camaraderie though some might find it stifling. Going to a big school or a small school can also greatly influence the social life on campus--are raging keggers or chilled-out coffeehouses more your style? Current students, college representatives, your friends, your parents, and your guidance counselor can all offer great advice and insight into what school might be the best fit for you.

What do you get when you combine killer academics, an impressive financial-aid package, and great campus life? The perfect fit. Fifty-three percent of students and their parents agreed that finding the college that will be the best overall fit is the most important consideration when it comes to choosing a college. Will the school, regardless of stature, popularity, size, and location, be a good fit for your talents and aspirations? Only you can truly judge this, so don’t get swayed by the hype--a good fit will serve you better than a well-known name, and if you can come out of the experience wiser and having spent less money, well, then you’re already ahead of the game.