D26 has said she “doesn’t want to go to college anywhere it’s super cold.” And since we live in AZ, that also means “I don’t want to go to NAU and I don’t want to live in Flagstaff for 4 years.” 
I think that knowing what you do NOT want is half the battle.
Also what is in the “definitely do NOT want ___” list is any college with general ed requirements that require you to take a whole year of lab science and that require all students to take a full year of Calculus regardless of major. She’s probably going to be some combo of business & history major. So, for example, this eliminates a school like Hillsdale College (which is in Michigan and would have been off the table anyway because of the weather) or NM Tech (in Socorro, NM)…NM Tech requires all majors to take a year of engineering calculus, a year of engineering physics, and a year of chemistry even if you’re an IS major…so that school is a big no.
D26 has an older sister who’s going through the college app process right now, so a lot of this in in D26’s face regularly.