Every university is unique so you have to decide what you want from a university. My personal preference would be University of Chicago.
You can use the following resource to make a decision

University of Chicago

http://www.studentsreview.com/IL/UC.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago

http://www.college-admission-essay.c...admission.html

http://www.rateitall.com/i-23772-uni...f-chicago.aspx

Louisiana State University

http://www.rateitall.com/i-18465-lou...niversity.aspx

http://www.princetonreview.com/colle...=1&intbucketid=

http://www.lsu.edu/students/expenses/

For tuition cost you have to contact the university directly, on an average a single bedroom apartment will cost you around $400 to $500 (you can share it with another student), all other expense depends on your lifestyle like eating outside, social life etc.