<p>I did a little searching around for the importance of class rank; but I just want to be sure, and have a little more clarification. My apologies if there's a thread I missed on this topic.</p>
<p>For my graduating class, if you have a 4.0 you're out of top 10%, and if you have a 4.05 (AP's weighted 0.025 per semester) you're out of top 5%. Now, I have a 4.075 (4.0 unweighted), and happen to make 5.07%, or around there. I was curious for ivies, does top 5% or 10% make a difference? Or do they not really even look at any percentiles above top 10%? </p>
<p>Oddly enough, this is a public school that has these stats.</p>
<p>If anyone could let me know if 5% is really a cutoff for any of the ivies, or am I worrying over nothing?</p>
<p>Class rank is more of a way for colleges to see how you stack up against your peers. While most of the people that are admitted to the Ivy League schools are in the top 5%, they (the schools) aren't going to say "Oh, she's not in the top 5%, put that in the rejected pile." They'll take a look at the whole picture (your GPA, recs, ECs, etc.) to decide. The more selective schools tend to be more holistic in their admissions process; state schools tend to be more numbers driven.</p>
<p>wow. seems kinda like grade inflation, but i wouldn't be able to say; don't know your school's method of grading, teachers, etc. for most schools, the difference between, top 10% or top 5% isn't very much, but of course being valedictorian will. as will being first in anything. and for ivies, they are careful not to get stuck in any tight corners by making ANY limits at all. Theoretically, it would be possible for a chronic cleptomaniac who got 600 on SATs, got caught for plagiarizing and possession of marijuana, and a D average to get into harvard. it just really wouldn't be likely. </p>
<p>"wow. seems kinda like grade inflation, but i wouldn't be able to say; don't know your school's method of grading, teachers, etc."</p>
<p>I agree that there is a degree of grade inflation- mainly, A-, A, and A+ all count as the same. However, I believe that compared to most schools in the area, the fact that AP's are only weighted as 0.025 added on makes up for the discrepancy compared to the 5.0gpa that AP's count for in some schools.</p>
<p>However, judging by the past several years of graduating classes, I'm just stuck with an abnormally bright class. Looking at records, usually 4.0 weighted would get you at least 20th in the past 3 years worth of classes- with my class it puts you in 34th.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the quick responses and all the help. Of course, further opinions are also highly appreciated.</p>
<p>Hey, you think that you have a competitive class, at my daughter's high school a 4.00 weighted gets you into the top 25%! Less than 4.0 weighted, moves you out of the top quarter!</p>
<p>Also, this isn't grade inflation, the median SAT for math and Verbal is 1225, and I think the median writing portion was 625. If you get a 1450 SAT ( math and verbal) or so, you are maybe in in the top 10-15% there.How would you like to be in a class like this?</p>
<p>I have a 4.0 and I'm not even in the top 20 percent. I'm 24/101. It's not grade inflation--it's type-A highly competitive crazy private school syndrome. The entire top 3 quintiles have GPAs above a 3.5. My school, thankfully, "doesn't rank" so colleges won't know where I stand. All they'll know is that I've taken challenging classes and done well in them.</p>
<p>At a school like yours or mine, rank isn't going to matter much. No matter where you are in the class, a 4.0 out of 4.3 (or whatever yours is out of) is a good GPA. That's a straight-A average. You won't be punished for having smart peers. Or at least, you shouldn't.</p>
<p>i think looking at class rank is kinda dumb....i mean if ur in a super competitive school and ur ranked like top 50% cause everyone else around u is a super genius thats not fair that the same person goes to another school thats quite dumber and is number one and has a leg up because simply the school he went to was less competitive......ppl say how competitive schools are a good thing but i dont think that colleges really recognize that as much as class rank......i think its better to go to a lesser known school and become like valedictorian than a really competitive school and be like top twenty%.....i dunno what do u guys think?</p>
<p>"Also, this isn't grade inflation, the median SAT for math and Verbal is 1225, and I think the median writing portion was 625. If you get a 1450 SAT ( math and verbal) or so, you are maybe in in the top 10-15% there.How would you like to be in a class like this?"</p>
<p>Sir, that's basically the kind of school I AM at. And it's a public school as well, oddly enough. I do have to ask why you seem so angry at me, it was not my intention to make anyone mad. My apologies if I did anger you in some way.</p>
<p>Semiserious, if AP's are taken out, a 4.0 is the max you can get. Max with AP's, I'm not sure anyone that I know of actually realizes what the max is. Regardless, it's impossible to get it and graduate on time.</p>
<p>At my school, the class before me (100 students) had grades of 1600, 1590, 1590, and 1580. Average SATs were in fact higher than 1225. However, the top quarter GPA was definently not 4.0. </p>
<p>In essence, grades are inflated if more than 10% of the class gets As, more than 20% gets B's, and so on. </p>
<p>Again, it depends on how each school does weighted. If a school adds .25 for an AP course and .1 for an honors course, then it should be decently easy to get a 4.0. On the other hand, if a school adds, say, .1 for AP and .05 for honors, then it might be harder. </p>
<p>Grades make a difference when comparing students in a school. They mean next to nothing when comparing students from different schools (which is what colleges do). Class rank WILL matter. if you go to a competitive school, a low-ish rank might be OK. Colleges will look at rank and GPA in relation to your school, not some giant conglomerate database.</p>
<p>Ompa 1010 asks,"
Sir, that's basically the kind of school I AM at. And it's a public school as well, oddly enough. I do have to ask why you seem so angry at me, it was not my intention to make anyone mad. My apologies if I did anger you in some way."</p>
<p>Response: LOL , I am not angry at you in any way. If I came off that way, I appologize because I am not upset. My daughter also goes to a public school with magnet programs. I just find it idiotic that students in schools as ours are at a detriment in college admissions because a kid may not be in the top 10 or 20% or even 30%.</p>