Selecting college in USA depends on a number of factors:
- The program you want to pursue~Every university has its strengths and weaknesses. Some are good at engineering and some at Liberal arts. If you are a Life Sciences guy look for colleges with good reviews and faculty for Life Sciences.
- Your Tuition+Living Expenses Budget~This is one of the main deciding factors when it comes to deciding a college in US. The State universities are public funded(means they get grants from federal and state government). They can be cheaper than most of the private universities. Private universities are generally backed up by their Alumni network when it comes to grants. The only disadvantage of a public university is that in times of Budget Cuts, a State University suffers much more badly as opposed to a private university.
- Location~You want your college to be near a city or in a city. Remote places in Ohio, Texas, North Dakota have anonymity and do not serve the purpose of getting a global exposure.
- Diversity~This is a personal choice. Whether you like diversity or not. If you want many fellow Indians you should research about the Indian diaspora in a particular college.
- Placement~Often placement cells dodge this question by claiming that this data is confidential. Even if you are provided with the data, you need to observe the percentage of International students who obtained jobs. If no data is available, you need to contact students already in the college or who have graduated from there.
I can remember these criteria as of now, if you have anything in mind that you think is important, feel free to comment and add.
