Forbes College Rankings Revealed: Analyzing the Pros and Cons of the Top 5 Schools

Stanford tops this year's list of top colleges, which was an impressive year for west coast schools

Earlier this week, Forbes released its list of the highest-earning celebrities under 30. But that list will only make you feel bad about yourself (Justin Bieber made $58 million?!). Now, they've also revealed their ranked list of the top colleges. This is more valuable to your life. 

Because now you can lord your ranking over your friends, assuming their college was ranked lower! Fun!

For the sixth year, Forbes and Center for College Affordability and Productivity have ranked 650 U.S. schools based on five categories: Student satisfaction, post-graduate success, student debt, graduation rate and nationally competitive awards. 

Make sure you check where your college falls on the list (spoiler alert: It was a good year for the west coast schools!) and our breakdown of the Top 10 schools, factoring in some pros and cons that you'd actually care about (WhoTF cares about nationally competitive awards?!):

1. Stanford University: Stanford makes the leap to the No. 1 spot this year, partially based on its illustrious alumni (half of Silicon Valley, including Google's inventors and Tiger Woods). It'll cost you about $58,845 a year and only 7 percent of applicants are admitted.

Pro: If the $60k-ish price tag is a little steep, there are ways you can still easily "attend Stanford" without paying. Or enrolling. Or actually being a student. (Just don't get caught!)

Con: Their mascot is a tree.

2. Pomona College: Making the jump from the No. 9 spot to no. 2, Pomona is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, Calif. Enrollment will set you back $57,014 and alumni include Kris Kristofferson, which is kind of cool. 

Pro: You can both ski and sunbathe at the beach in the same day.

Con: You'll probably have this conversation a lot. Me: "Pomona College, where's that?" You: "Oh, it's near L.A." Me: "That's so cool! You live in L.A.!" You: "Oh no. Just near L.A."

3. Princeton University: Formerly the No. 1 top school on the list, Princeton falls to third place this year. It's the fourth-oldest college and the movie A Beautiful Mind was based on one of its professors. It costs $54,780 a year to attend.

Pro: WWMOD? (That's Michelle Obama. She went here.)

Con: Your mom will have to beg people to date you.

4. Yale University: The third-oldest college in the U.S., Yale has produced five alumni that went on to become president (both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford and William Howard Taft). Cost is $59,320. 

Pro: Really, anyone can pull off "Yale Blue" (and, speaking of clothing, when you graduate Yale, you get membership to the very exclusive Yale club—an actual club—and now their dress code includes jeans!)

Con: You may never learn to pronounce "nuclear."

5. Columbia University: With a higher annual cost than the above listed (at $61,540), Columbia rounds out the top five. Since 1901, alumni have collected 82 Nobel Prizes, including one given to President Barack Obama in 2009.

Pro: New York City :)

Con: New York City :(

The rest of the top 10 include:

6. Swarthmore College

7. United States Military Academy

8. Harvard University

9. Williams College

10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

And, in case you're curious, #650 on the list is...Oklahoma Wesleyan University! Go Eagles!