95% Ranks in the top 10%, except...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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According to information on the Harvard website, as well as information found on Harvard’s official common data set for the 2016/17 cycle, 95% of admitted applicants ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class. However, it also says on the common data set that only 36% of admitted freshmen actually submitted their class rank (through the link below, page 8). It also says on the common data set that class rank is a “not considered” factor. Does this have any implications on how Harvard views class rank in relation to undergraduate admissions?

Why am I posting this thread ? Partially out of curiosity, but also partially because I am strongly considering applying to Harvard next application cycle, and am debating on whether to have my class rank on my transcript (it is optional to have your class rank on your transcript at my high school).

Link to Common Data Set: https://oir.harvard.edu/files/huoir/files/harvard_cds_2016-17.pdf

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Unless they’re one of the top few scholars in their HS class, an unhooked applicant has very poor odds of acceptance. If reporting your class rank will show that you’re such a student, you should.

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The school counselor report asks for rank. It’s not just about your transcript choice. If you’re worried, does this mean you’re outside the “top few?”

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Whatever helps strengthen your application should be included. But as @lookingforward says, the counselor report may make your question moot.

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More to the point, Harvard AOs did not just fall off the turnip truck…

Harvard says they do not consider class rank because more than half of US high schools do not provide a cardinal/ordinal rank. But make no mistake - the AO can gauge an individual’s rank based upon the high school’s profile; your GPA is provided and the profile will usually list GPA range by decile/quintile, etc. Additionally, if multiple applicants from the same HS apply, one should assume that the AO will sort by GPA.

So feel free not to have your rank listed on your transcript, but do not suffer the delusion that the AO won’t be able to figure it out on his/her own. :slight_smile: Good luck.

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In addition, high school teacher’s did not just fall off the same turnip truck. A high school teacher does not give the same kind of glowing recommendation to a student ranked in the top 10% to 20% of their graduating class as they do a student ranked in the top 1% or 10% of their graduating class. And, those teacher recommendations matter. In fact, it’s right there on the College Board website: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/video-transcription/whats-the-most-important-part-of-the-application

My guess is that an AO can pretty much figure out if a student is ranked in the top 10% of their class from the comments teachers make in their recommendation letters.

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@lookingforward does the counselor report get sent during the midyear ??

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It gets sent in at the same time as the initial application. The mid-year report asks the counsellor to provide an update to the rank, if available.

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OP, if you’re this worried about rank, Isuggest you really dig into what the top colleges want. It’s not as simple as you wanting them or thinking lightning may strike- or that they might ignore some blips in your record. Posters are right that there are many ways your performance, capabilities, and thinking come through. It’s a fierce competition among tens of thousands of top performers.

IF this is a case where you do have the academic might they want, but your high school is so rigorous that just breathing can lower your rank, that’s different. But top colleges will look for your rigor, stats, and every bit of what you show- or not- in the app/supp. It pays to understand how to present yourself.

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I’m from New Zealand and my high school does not have any sort of class/year ranking. How could that affect me if I wanted to apply to Harvard or other Ivies?

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While your HS may not rank, your teachers know if you are a top student at your school, and if you are, they will certainly mention it in their letters of recommendation. Ditto with your guidance counselor.

That said, international applicants do NOT have the same odds as US applicants. Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and MIT (among other colleges) limit the number of international students to about 10% to 11% of an incoming freshman class – and most of those international students are from 6 countries: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Korean and Japan. Go to http://www.hio.harvard.edu/statistics. From the pull-down menus, select STUDENTS, HARVARD COLLEGE (the undergraduate school) and NEW ZEALAND, you’ll see that there are 13 students from New Zealand enrolled at Harvard who are freshman, sophomores, juniors or seniors. That means, on average, Harvard admits about 3-4 students from New Zealand every year. I imagine that Yale, UPenn and Northwestern (as well as Princeton, Stanford and the rest of the ivies) admit about the same. Best of luck to you!

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Thanks for that :slight_smile: I also really wanted to break down the international statistics and I had looked at that tool but didn’t calculate how many a year would’ve been taken from NZ, so that’s really helpful. I think my Principal will be able to write me a good recommendation as well as a few other people, so hopefully, they are impressive. Again, thanks for the info.