The Princeton Review isn’t known for its research methodology, but it does know how to capture the popular imagination.

Today the test-preparation company released its annual “College Hopes & Worries” report, based on survey responses from about 10,000 high-school students and their parents.

The students’ “dream college”: Harvard. The parents’: Princeton.

For the previous three years, though, the same survey found that students dreamed of getting in to New York University. What happened?

“Harvard has been in the news in regards to financial aid,” said Robert Franek, lead author of the company’s Best Colleges guide. Students’ and parents’ biggest worry, he pointed out in today’s report, is that they won’t be able to afford their first-choice college. Harvard’s recent plans to lower costs for middle- and upper-middle-income families, he said, are answering their “needs and fears.”

Most students and parents aren’t picking a college for its academics, according to the Princeton Review—just 9 percent said that’s how they would make their decision. Half said they were looking for “the best overall fit,” and a third were most concerned with “career interests.” Almost two-thirds of students said they would consider, at least somewhat, a college’s commitment to the environment.

Meanwhile, stress about the application process has soared, with more than six in 10 students and parents reporting high levels. But a few offered words of wisdom.

“Take lots of bubble baths,” said a student from California. “Try to win the lottery before you apply,” said one from Colorado.

“There are many good colleges out there,” said a parent from New Jersey, “not just the 10 that everyone is applying to.” —Sara Lipka