<p>I'm in the bottom half of my class of 315 (barely, but still the bottom half). It hurts me to type that, ugh. At my #1 choice, college board says 98% of admits were in the top half of class. There are around 3500 undergrads. Will the fact that I'm in the bottom half automatically render me ineligible for admission? The school claims that they evaluate the applicant as an individual and how much of match they are to the school. Well, I'm a match in every regard save the class rank and GPA. I sincerely believe that my ACT, essays, and recs can outweigh my poor GPA and class rank, but this 98% statistic is beginning to dash my hopes. Are these stats accurate?
By the way, if you want to know, the school is Emerson and I'm applying EA. They list class rank as an "Important" admission factor.</p>
<p>It doesn't automatically render you ineligible for admission-it isnt 100%. So get that damn rank of yours up and if the rest of your stuff is all good and ready to go, then you'll have a shot. If you fail, then screw Emerson and go insertschoolyougetintohere.</p>
<p>well the thing is I'm applying EA (I have to, I told the admissions rep for my region that I was and he's expecting me to) so I don't think that even if I do increase my rank they will see it until after I get accepted/denied. and they very rarely accept anyone off of their wait list.</p>
<p>any more advice? (bump.)</p>
<p>You are not obligated to apply early because you told the rep you would- students change their minds about which colleges to apply to and when, and admissions counselors know this. Applying EA will improve your chances ONLY if you are a student they would most likely admit in the regular round. At most colleges GPA is the single most important factor in considering applications, so if you are not a match, your chances will not improved by applying early, especially if they also consider class rank important. I strongly suggest you expand your college list to include other EA colleges that you are an all around match for, if you are hoping to apply early, AND have an acceptance letter in hand come Dec.</p>
<p>You should know that Emerson's class rank statistic is based on less than 51% of the student body reporting (from the USNWR Best Colleges 2008). Your class rank will hurt you, but not nearly as much as you might think. Is your HS competitive? Is your GPA consistent with your test scores for your HS? Have you taken a demanding course load? If the answer to all of these is "yes" you are probably in pretty good shape.</p>
<p>What do you mean by "Is your GPA consistent with your test scores for your HS?" I'm not sure how to answer that.
But the answer for the rest of them is an emphatic YES.</p>
<p>thanks for the help though. I appreciate it.</p>
<p>Most HS's will give you a chart showing your GPA and test scores plotted against those of your classmates. They may even show you a best fit line through the data that defines what I mean by consistent. Ask your counselor about it.</p>
<p>oh, okay. my test scores are pretty well above the majority of my grade, but most of my grade takes a relatively easy course load and gets straight A's. the class rank doesn't reflect the rigor of course selection, at all. I hope the counselor remembers to note that in her evaluation.</p>