<p>Remember, people make decisions on an un-scientific basis all the time. In fact, it's rare for any decision actually to be made on the basis of statistically valid information that squarely addresses the decisionmaker's concerns. And even if you do have such information, it's probabilistic only: not "what will my experience be" (which is the unanswerable question every decisionmaker has) but more like "what is the range of experiences I may have, and where in that range does a plurality fall". </p>
<p>With a college, if you had a statistically valid sample of comments from students, you still would not likely have a valid sample of comments from introverted African-American kids who like Latin American literature, or ENTJ women doing biology research, or kids who like frats and kids who don't. So even the most "perfect" information won't be nearly good enough to make a really informed choice.</p>
<p>In this, as in every other human endeavor, you use what information you have. Studentsreview.com, Princeton Review, CC, the kids who graduated from your high school last year, whatever. My daughter followed livejournal communities -- that really helped her decide, but I think they have gotten a lot more anemic since facebook took over.</p>