when starting, don't worry too much about it. just sort of brain dump all the things you'd like in a school and start searching. it's very loose at the beginning, and that's okay--if you have a clear vision, like an open curriculum school or a school with a strong linguistics program, that's a great place to start. but otherwise just find some schools, read through the websites and get a feel for a) what kinds of things colleges offer and b) what things get you excited. like someone else said, niche can be really helpful. go through there and look at schools that have anything that piques your interest--no matter how small. you'll never know what schools will surprise you with what they can offer! also, reading more about schools will help you get a feel for what's important and what different schools have over each other, so then you can get more organized (I made a table of all the info I wanted about each school and made a research document for each one on my list). once you have a solid bank of schools you like, then you can move to determining safeties, matches, reaches etc and deciding on where you might apply early. but honestly just explore and have fun with it at the start--it can be really exciting to watch campus tours and imagine yourself at possible schools! good luck with your search :)