College rankings can be invaluable tools to students and parents looking at colleges across the United States. One of the lists that you can choose to review is “America’s Best Colleges,” which is compiled by Forbes. Remember, when looking at any college list, consider that the characteristics most important to you aren’t always reflected completely by the rankings. Your personal needs should overrule any ranking given in a college list.

Who is Forbes?

Forbes is a business news magazine based out of New York and published bi-weekly. Their college list was actually compiled for Forbes.com, the online counterpart to the print magazine, which has become one of the main focuses of the company. The magazine has been in print since the early 20^th century, and Forbes.com has been reaching Internet users since 1996. Together with related sites run by Forbes, the website reaches about 27 million people every year.

Why should you trust Forbes?

While Forbes is well known for their lists, especially the Forbes 400, a list of the richest people in the United States, they are relatively new to ranking colleges. They published their first “America’s Best Colleges” list in 2008, and updated it in 2009, though it is not yet an official annual list. This list places a strong emphasis on liberal arts colleges and has been praised for including many colleges that are overlooked by other college rankings, rather than focusing on Ivy League schools and other high-profile universities.

What is their Methodology?

Forbes considers a number of sources to compile the rankings, rather than sending out surveys as is common with most college lists. Although they have been criticized because many of these sources are subjective, some have noted that this is a fresh way to approach how colleges are ranked. Some of the characteristics they use to rank colleges include the following:

• Inclusion of Alumni in Who’s Who in America
• Salaries of Alumni, as reported on PayScale.com
• Professor Evaluations on RateMyProfessor.com
• Accumulated Debt by Students over the Course of Four Years
• National Awards Given to Students and Faculty Members
• Student Graduation Rate

In addition to the “America’s Best Colleges” list, Forbes has also previously published a list called “Top Colleges For Getting Rich.” This rankings looks at average salaries of graduates, and many where surprised to see some lesser-known schools ranked higher than more prominent schools in their fields. This list used reader surveys and self-reported salaries from PayScale.com to analyze each school.

The Forbes college ranking system is certainly less technical than many of the other lists available, but this is just one of the resources you should use when determining which school to attend. Along with ranks, you need to consider your personal criteria for the college you want, which could include things like location and student activities, which are often not considered in any kind of college rankings list.