As for how to choose a college. Personally, I chose which college I was applying for with very superficial criteria, including the college colours and the look of its website. Seriously.
Anyway, some "real" criteria you can look for (in no particular order):
1. Ranking on the tables. Actually, since academics are about the same throughout the university, the table rankings don't really show that much. If you look at the graphs of year-on-year rankings you'll see that most colleges fluctuate dramatically. I didn't take this into account when applying for my college (and to my shock and horror I later discovered that the college I'd applied for has been topping the Tompkins Table for a few years in recent times).
2. Entrance statistics. For Cambridge, you can find all statistics on its website. Not sure about Oxford. You can choose a college which has a relatively high proportion of admits, but correspondingly lower proportion of pooled-then-admitted students, or you can pick one with lower admits but higher successful pool rates, or something in the
middle - you get the idea.
3. Size of college. Do you want a large community, a tiny one, or a mid-sized one? Do you want an all-women college?
4. Environment of college. Where in the university town is your college located? Is it along a very busy stretch? Is it very quiet and peaceful? Are you allowed to step on the grass?
5. Interviews of college. This is a pretty important point, and it differs for each course and college. Some colleges will do a simple interview. Others will make you sit the TSA. Yet others will give you reading material beforehand and expect you to discuss it. Go to the college website to see how they interview candidates for their courses.
6. Whether you know any seniors there. Believe it or not, this can be a turning point in your favour. First, you'll know exactly what the interview process is like. Second, you'll have someone to guide you along in a new environment. Third, you'll know what that college requires in terms of academics.
What I mean by this is that Oxbridge courses generally ask for AAA for A-level to be able to confirm your offer. But how it converts to our CAP scale is entirely different. Homerton College in Cambridge asked for a 4.2 overall, 4.2 in English, 4.2 in Math, 4.2 in Chemistry. On a side note, Imperial required a 4.3 in English from someone. The
colleges are allowed to ask for different grades, because admission is entirely at their discretion. Some colleges have a tradition of giving "easy offers" or "matriculation offers" - i.e. EE for A-levels, to take the pressure off their most brilliant candidates, but I doubt they'll give such offers to international students.
7. Housing at the college. Just about all Oxbridge colleges can guarantee four years of undergraduate housing for its students, which is good for you, because other universities (both US and UK) generally only offer 1-2 years. So your accommodation is taken care of. But the rooms vary quite a bit, too. Some are single, some are twin rooms.
Some share common facilities like toilets and kitchens. Some have in- room sinks. Some are en-suite. Then you have the meal plans. Finally, you have the cost of renting the room. Even if you're on scholarship, this has to be taken into account, because most scholarships give you a monthly allowance that includes accommodation costs (about 100 pounds a week).
8. The "feel" of the college. Look at their websites. Order their prospectuses. Most of them have student-produced prospectuses, which will give you an insight into what the students actually do there. Some colleges are really old and have facades that speak of their tradition. Others are newer and more modern. If you have the money, visit the university and talk to the people there.
9. The faculty of the college. If you have academic heroes, see if they're residents of any colleges. If you attend that college, you may well get to speak to them and discuss their work with them, and get inspired.
That's all I can think of now.
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