College choice
First of all, make sure the college is accredited. There are six accrediting bodies recognized by the Department of Education. Your school should be accredited by one of them. A degree from a non-accredited college is barely worth the paper on which it is printed.
Of course, cost is a big factor. The big-ticket schools, such as ERAU, certainly carry a name in the industry, and a price tag to boot. But plenty of state schools, such as
Southeast Oklahoma State University, have great aviation programs that are known in the industry and at a fraction of the cost.
Maybe check out numbers of aircraft and numbers of flight students. When I first started instructing at ERAU in 1989, I was given a bunch of primary students. That was fine, but there weren't enough 172s available to accomodate them. That meant that neither they nor I were flying enough (and I wasn't making enough money). That impacted their training. Beware of airplane shortages.
I second the above about investigating instructing employment opportunities after graduating.
Last but not least, check out the school's contacts within the industry. Good internship opportunities are a major plus. That contact you meet through an internship could land you in the seat at the airline of your dreams.
Hope that helps. Good luck with school and with your training.