The conservative ISI (which publishes “Choosing the Right College”) seems to be one of the few organizations to seriously address these issues in assessing colleges. They used to post top-10 lists of “exceptional” colleges and “train wreck” colleges. Their 10 “exceptional” schools included Princeton and UChicago (along with several Christian schools). Those lists (and sample reviews) apparently have been taken down. You might want to get a copy of the book. I found their college reviews well-written, and relatively “fair and balanced” despite ISI’s political slant.