<p>People may, in my estimation, overplay what to look for. Worse their advice comes from an egocentric view of what works for them. This may not work for your child. I think you need to know your child(look inward, not outward at other students) and respect his desires and needs. For me, affordability would have to loom large and may apply to most people. My daughter went to Princeton choosing that over acceptances at Harvard, MIT, and Stanford: her only interests. She wanted Harvard at first until a visit(overnight) to Princeton so you may want to consider that to the extent possible. Princeton was slightly more generous than the others but I told her choose which you really want, not which is cheapest. I personally think that a student intuitively feels comfortable with a college or not. Respect that! He/she has to live there for at least four years. It should be a joyous time and was for us. That enhances the possibility of success. Oh yes, I agree with safety. NYU is a great college but safety would be a concern as would U of Chic although it’s one of the greats.</p>