The topic pretty much says it all. Assuming that I want to apply to Ivy league schools, how much of a difference would it make if I was valedictorian compared to if I was just 2nd or 3rd?
I’m asking this because if I wanted to go for 1st, I would need to invest more energy and time in order to improve my grades by 1/2 points. If I decide not to pursue 1st, I’ll have more time for SAT/Extracurriculars
IMO, zip, zilch, nada. Having said that, these schools routinely reject valedictorians with 4.0/2400 and accept students with lower stats. Class rank is but one piece of the equation.
And Vals are declared well after admissions are done.
None whatsoever. As long as you’re in the top 10%, you’re fine. The only exception is if you attend a lower performing school where only a handful of students score 28+ on the ACT or 1800+ on the SAT, then you should be at the very top of your class to have a shot.
Maybe if your class has 3 people it matters.
Zero. And if you have test scores that are strong, spend your time burnishing your ECs and figuring out to stand out there.
Stop believing the lies. No one cares except for grammy at your graduation. A few days ago was another poster who was worried to the point of freaking out about “losing” his/her #1 spot – said was a “dream” since he/she was young. I wanted to throat punch that clueless kid through my monitor…
Here’s the trouble with the rat race: even if you win it, you’re still a rat.
Don’t be a rat.