Isael
Make sure that it allows for the students to not only study what they would like to, but also a chance to experience new things that maybe the student never even thought of doing. Also, there should be like minded individuals to feel confortable when you first get there and during your four years.
Liz
visit, and stay overnight if you can. eat lunch on campus, but not during a time when there are parents or lots of visitors on campus. sit with students at lunch and talk to them. grab a student newspaper. take a self-guided tour of campus after one with a tourguide. ask questions!
Matthew
I would tell them to go into it with a positive outlook. Make sure to research the school well, and go to the campus. If you get the tour, ask people you seen on campus what they feel about it, and try to chose a variety of social types and people so you can get a general outlook on it. Find out what is most important to you early in the search: is it money, academics, location to home or something else, class sizes, size of school, etc. Once you get there, be active, especially if its' a big school it will make the experience a lot easier if you can a small group of friends through a club/sport/etc. And live in moderation when you get to school, don't go wild and crazy trying to do all you can do in the first year because you'll get burnt out on it. Have fun, but work too.
Anna
Be aware that you will change alot between your freshman year and your senior year. I know alot of people including myself who look at other schools later in their college career and wish that they had considered them when they were applying for schools. Dont pay too much money for college. Sometimes it ends up being not worth it. A degree is a degree no matter where you get it from at the end of the day. Make sure that you school has good campus life records/facilities. Living in crappy dorms/apartments suck. So does eating shitty cafeteria food.
Bailey
Three bits of advice: visit, keep in mind the purpose of college, and don't forget to have fun. For me, visiting the different schools I was interested in made all the difference. I knew while walking through a campus full of people with frowning faces, that that particular campus was not going to be the one I would want to spend my four years on. The visit made all the difference. While college is thought of as a non-stop party, don't pick a school because you think it will be a good time. Pick a school because it will give you the kind of education you want to recieve, programs you're interested in, and an environment you feel will be suited to your learning style. But of course, college should be fun. Pick somewhere you'll be happy and healthy, somewhere you'll enjoy for the next four years, make sure they'll be four great years. If you put a lot of consideration into your initial decision, it will be easier to make the most of your college experience in the long run. Find your match, make the most of it, change your life.
Dana
VISIT the colleges. Ask questions! Talk to the students! Without doing this you may never know if the school is right for you.