A Red Flag in the Hopes of a HS Junior

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a junior, and right now I'm feeling pretty bad about my college application due to one big red sore thumb sticking out.</p>

<p>Besides a high GPA, great SAT scores (2200~), great AP/SAT II scores, and also being a big national level figure in the Democratic Party's youth wing, (I'll hopefully advance to even a higher position next year!), one sore thumb sticks out really bad in my personal dream to get into Dartmouth College.</p>

<p>Class Rank.</p>

<p>At my school, class rank is unweighted, and as such, those who have taken AP courses and have gotten ~94/3.9s in them, are ranked out of the top 10%, as the top 10% is filled (Besides the top 1% - those are true academic studiers) with people who do NOT take AP classes (and get 4.0's) exactly because "I like my 100 in a non-AP class than my 85 in a AP class". </p>

<p>Thus, at the current moment, Im out of the top 10%, and it is unlikely I can slip into it, (even though its a possibility if I get a 99 average this year or so) so I'm feeling pretty down about that.</p>

<p>Any encouragement/ideas any of you guys can give me?</p>

2

<p>ranking is a small part of the puzzle, and schools with see your classes and such and are smart enough to figure out where you stand in your school, if even unofficially</p>

<p>just keep working hard and don't worry so much</p>

3

<p>Being from NY is more of a problem.</p>

4

<p>Do not worry about it. If you've taken those hard AP classes and ur class rank sucks because other people get 100's in non-AP classes, it will show in your counselor rec because colleges care "how rigorous" your courseload is.</p>

5

<p>I wouldn't worry about it. As ownagrisms says, schools ask and care about the rigour of your scedual. Also, they tend to have regional reps whose job it is to communicate with your GC and know about your school, so chances are they know that ranking is unweighted and will understand that people above you in rank have taken much easier classes.</p>