I'm trying to narrow down my list of colleges to about 4 or 5?

I know people who went to Swarthmore and Fordham, loved their experiences there and got into great grad schools. Which is not to say anything against the others. Studying abroad would be a great experience, but it's true that you can easily to a year of study abroad from any of the U.S. schools (and your parents would probably be happier, if that's a factor.)