The first thing to look for in a college is a place that you can PAY for! That may sound goofy, or stupid, or naive, but you have got to be able to pay for school 100% with scholarships, fellowships, cash on hand, or some other form that does not have you taking out student loans. Student loan debt in the U.S. is over $1.2 trillion (yes, with a t). That is ridiculous by any standard. So yes, the number one thing to look for in a college is cost.
Beyond the first and most important thing, be realistic. There is next to no value to be gained from a fancy name. I don't know of any jobs that require that the person hired have an Ivy League degree. That notion is outdated and elitist. Get over yourselves if that's what you think you need to be happy in life. I'm very happy having gone to (fully paid for without loans) a small private college that gave me a good education. If you don't believe me, then check out this story. The link should take you to the story about the very wise young man that turned down a lot of big name schools for a paid-for education. He gets it.
College should be fun, but let's not lose sight of why people go to college to begin with: To get an education. The quality of the education changes very little from place to place, and ten years down the road, no one cares (including you, most likely) where you went to school. So go back to the first thing and have a degree that is paid for and not following you around in the form of student loans. You'll be amazed at the difference that will make in your life.