50 percent solution

The USA, when it comes to choosing a college to attend ,has advantage and problems. The over 3000 colleges gives an incredible range of choices. But also a problem: which  one to go to? Having taught at Edison, Memorial, and Mason, I kind of know how students and parents generally go about making a decision about post high school formal education.
Of course, every parent thinks his/her child is as smart as can be. But as the child's schooling goes along, the parent comes to some reality. My experience with high schoolers shows three basic approaches to college selection. First, every parent dreams of the "Ivy League," although few students or parents can name these schools. The Ivy League to most is Harvard, Yale, and ,maybe Princeton, unaware of the other 6. But if the student gets accepted to one of these 3, then the parents have clearly established their superior genes! Second, if  the "Ivies" don't 'call'---well what about a local or state public college? Local college can save big money. The student can live at home; the state public college gives real relief on tuition. Third, are what I call "prestige" colleges. The reason to go to one of these is not always clear. Maybe the student loves the school's sport program. So, how about Michigan, Notre Dame, or USC? Or maybe just the college name fascinates the youngster. Duke, Washington and Lee fit here. After all, Duke surely implies==well---aristocracy. And Washington and Lee , what name---the "founder" of our country AND a great, heroic general.
I'm not putting these colleges down. They're all first rate, but to many they are sought for the wrong reasons.
Well, how then to you pick a college to migrate to after high school? I suggest the student and his/her parents start by checking out 10 factors and  compare. These factors are important to me, but maybe these could be starting points that should be looked at. My suggestions, then.
SIZE of student body. I  prefer small student attendance. In addition to academics, a sense of community is important. And such a sense is hard to find if you're 1 of  many thousands. I'll give a number just as a starting point. I'll use a maximum of 2500 students.
DISTANCE from your home city. I recommend within 800 miles from your home. The student may want to come home more than the three times you might find at a college on the 'other' side off the country. And, perish the thought,! your parents might want to visit you on campus a couple of times a year!
COMPETION I. In my experience with high school seniors, college should not be a constant struggle. So I suggest the student go there he/she is in the upper 50 per cent based on ACT or SAT scores. This gives you plenty to 'chase after' and plenty to---well, 'stand' on.
COMPETION II. Kind of like just above. Did you graduate in the upper 50 per cent of your high school class? You want others for you to 'chase' and others 'chasing' you.
 ACCEPTANCE RATE. You may be near the top of your high school class; you may have really good ACT/SAT scores; BUT you may be competing for entry with hundreds or thousands just like you. Result: You may may not get accepted.
VARIETY. Most colleges want students from different states, different ethnicity, different social backgrounds etc. This factor can  help or hurt you in being admitted.
LIVE ON C AMPUS. To me this  is important. You're hardly in a community if the school is filled with commuters or off campus students.
WEEKENDS. Hopefully most students stay on campus on the weekend. You don't want to be left behind while  a mob of your classmates go skiing or whatever
TUITION. You don't want to bankrupt your family. Need more be said.
DEBT. There are plenty of student loan programs . But who wants to spend the next decade or  decades saddled with what could be heavy loan payments?
GREEKS. In other words, how many students belong to sororities and fraternities? Generally, I don't like them. They can further fragment the community feeling of the campus AND they can cost big money. But you may see it otherwise. So just reverse this negativity, and look at the Greek system as a positive

Where can you find information on the above criteria. The local library or bookstore has several huge books that will give you the answers you want. Not all these books 'tell' it all, but a combination of guides will reveal what you need to know.

Now, I'm going to try something a little different. Almost at random, I've selected 10 colleges and will try to quantify all the factors