The months of waiting are over.

By now, most high school seniors know which colleges have accepted or rejected them.

The colleges have made their choices. Now it's up to students to make theirs.

It's a decision that will determine where these kids live for the next four years, whom they live with and what jobs they might get down the road.

So how do students figure out which school is the best match for them?

Counselors offer two key bits of advice:

- A good match trumps prestige. In other words, students should choose a school because it's the right fit, not because they believe that it will give them, or their parents, bragging rights.

- Students should choose their college, not their parents taking into account financial realities, of course.

"They have to look at what is best for them and what is best for their family," said Sara Jacobsen, head counselor at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard. "Sometimes the family can help, but sometimes they can't."

Fletcher Munksgard, 17, a senior at Newbury Park High, has been accepted into eight of the 10 colleges he applied to. Like most seniors across the country, he has until May 1 to make his decision.

As he ponders his choice, Munksgard has several factors to consider, both financial and academic.

He got a Regent's scholarship to UC Santa Cruz, which offers $6,000 a year. He was admitted to the honors programs at UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.

And in his heart, he's leaning toward UC San Diego or UC Berkeley.

Then he's got his parents' feelings to consider, too.

Ultimately, though, it's his decision, he and his parents say.

"It's a little bit them," he said. "But I also need to figure out what's best for me."

In choosing a school, students and their families should move beyond reputation and think about what's the best match, counselors say.

Academics won't be the only factor. Kids also need to think about where they want to live, where they'll fit in and whether the school offers activities outside the classroom that appeal to them.

Parents, meanwhile, need to listen to their kids when they explain why they've chosen a particular school, said Pat Croner, a private counselor who owns the College Match in Westlake Village.

"Parents have to respect their child's judgment," Croner said. "They need to listen to why they think they're unique, why they think they're a good fit for a particular school."

'It's a big decision'

Kelly Feiweles, senior class president at Westlake High School, knows that she wants a big school with lots of spirit, where the academics won't be a huge stretch.

"I didn't want to go somewhere extremely ambitious," she said. "I wanted a school where I could be comfortable, where there are like-minded peers."

Right now, the University of Washington and University of Wisconsin are looking good. So is the University of Michigan, although she hasn't heard from them yet.

But Feiweles is an only child, and her parents want her closer to home. They have "a lot of influence" on where she'll go, she said. Still, she hopes that ultimately they'll let her decide.

"It's a little nerve-wracking, but it's a new experience," she said. "I'm going to be living in a place I choose for the next four years, so it's a big decision."

While most parents would like their children to attend their dream schools, families do need to take finances into account when making that decision, counselors and admissions directors said.

That's especially true with college costs rising, counselors said. A year at a UC campus now tops $20,000. At a private college, it can easily be above $35,000.

Robin Munksgard and her husband have been saving for college since Fletcher was a baby, but their savings won't come close to covering the total cost, she said.

Still, she wants her son to go to his first-choice school.

"We've told him from early on, if you can get into the school, we'll find a way to pay for it," she said. "That's how important it is to us that he has the best education offered to him."

Some will need financial help

Not every family can afford to do that. In that case, students may have to work and rely on financial aid, ideally in the form of grants and scholarships, which don't have to be paid back.

"Some of our students' parents can't help, and they're on their own," said Jacobsen, the Rio Mesa counselor. "But there are resources out there."

No matter what their financial situation is, parents need to be realistic about how far they can stretch their budget to pay for college, said Paul Long, director of admission and enrollment management at Pepperdine University.

"If it's just too far a stretch, they shouldn't do it," Long said. "Parents feel guilty, but this is a time for reality."

Another factor in considering the cost of college: Depending on the financial aid and scholarships offered, public schools are not always less expensive than private schools.

That's why it's important to analyze financial aid packages carefully, figuring out how much of the offer is in grants and scholarships, and how much is in loans, which need to be paid back.

Beyond that, the least expensive school isn't always the best value, especially if it's a school that doesn't fit the student well.

But what if parents and their child just can't agree on a school? Sometimes it helps to bring in a third party a high school counselor, teacher or even a college admissions officer, said Long, the admission director at Pepperdine.

"Then you can get that check and balance," Long said.

And if the student doesn't get into any school? Some four-year schools still are accepting applications, said Richard Intlekofer, a counselor at Newbury Park High School. High school counselors should be able to give students the names of those schools.

Students also can attend community college, take the classes they need to transfer to a four-year school and then try again.

"Don't look at it as the end of the road," Intlekofer said. "There are still four-year opportunities out there."

As for Munksgard, he's planning to visit a few more campuses later this month before making his decision.

"It's up to me right now," he said. "I just need to figure out what I need to do."