When planning for college you should, you consider:

What kind of subject you want to major in - some colleges offer better programs than others. You should consider what is realistic for your future in terms of GPA, SAT scores, and extracurricular. You might consider a budget, since not everyone is able to pay for extremely expensive colleges, such as NYU. Also consider the place. Is it fun? Are there more people? Are the costs for apartments, etc more expensive there? Consider what is practical, and not just how prestigious its name is.