I’ve heard rank doesn’t play as much of a significant role as it did before, but my class rank is still definitely one of the weaker parts of my app, and it’s stressing me out.
I go to a competitive public where tons of kids stack TONS of APs (through online classes, getting easy 5.0’s added to their transcript). Also, kids avoid career electives like engineering and journalism (no AP/honors weight added) so it won’t bring down their Weighted GPA - I’ve done 4 years of engineering and other 4.0 electives (bad choice on my part, GPA/rank-wise). I would’ve taken more APs online if I had the chance, but I’ve really devoted myself to great EC’s that I’m proud of (international-level competitions, lots of other good stuff). I’ve taken the most rigorous schedule INSIDE my school (full IB curriculum) but not taken “extra” AP classes to stack my WGPA.
So anyways, since my school ranks Weighted, and not UW, would having a rank of ~30/550 look sketchy to adcoms? It’s top 6%, but then again that’s 29 kids with a higher WGPA than me. I’d really like to apply to CC Top Universities, and maybe an Ivy or Two (definitely not HPYSM-level though). UW’s a 3.8, test scores are above avg for many schools (34+ and 1500+), and race is Asian. I’d really appreciate any help/insight/perspective on this!
Be someone unique and different, and then you will be okay. Show that you are a better person for not having taken the easy way like some of your colleagues did for that high GPA.
At this point, you can’t win the objective game. The numbers are against you (only rank though, everything else is lovely). So tell them what you told us. You didn’t play dirty and take those extra classes to get ahead, but instead invested in meaningful ECs that are going to let you shine in a different way.
Do not let something as stupid as rank stop you from applying anywhere. If you want, you could apply HPYSM level. These top schools are looking for people who are different. Prove that you are different through the choices that you made.
I have this theory. I think that you know you are pretty good, and are a strong candidate. I think you are just giving into some insecurity, as we all are in this time. Be confident!
I’m not too knowledgeable about college admissions, but I’m in a similar situation. My school ranks unweighted and I have a UW 3.97, and my class rank is 70 out of around 816 students. Class rank is ridiculous in my opinion. -_-
I do know that college admission officers compare you to your peers first and then your district. But your test scores are really good, and if you can write compelling essays, I’m sure you’ll do great.
Are you applying to Texas public universities? If so, rank is the biggest factor…
For the super-selective colleges, your rank and your unweighted 3.8 HS GPA are probably on the lower edge of the range of academic records of admitted students.
Rank can be huge (Texas public schools like UT and A&M), or it can be meaningless. If you go to a competitive school, the colleges will factor that in. Generally for elites you need to top 1-3%, but having a great unique, memorable profile will outweight that. You’ll need killer essays. What are your ECs?
Small anecdote: son went to a mid-competitive high school, was 4th in his class. The kids above him played the game better (fluff APs), but he instead he created his own path (e.g. taking community college multi-var Calc vs. the easier AP stats). He got into the HYPSM, they didn’t. The 5th kid got into HYPSM as well. This year, the 28th kid got in Harvard. So it really depends.
Continue to do well, continue your ECs, and work on those essays… don’t worry about rank too much.
Class rank would be in the context of your high school profile. It does help to gauge the GPA scale of your high school. If your GPA is high while the class rank is low, it may suggest a generous grading system at your school. You should check the Naviance data of your high school to get some idea if you are within the range of the former students of your school admitted by your target colleges.
Typical Asian applicants have 4.0 GPA, high test scores, math competition, violin/piano ECs…you get the point. If you can show your uniqueness through your essays and LORs, it would be to your advantage. There is ranking and then there is ranking. To be top 6% is not shabby, you could have a shot a many top 20 schools. Many of those schools will look at how your teachers rank you relative to other students. To be competitive, you want to be Outstanding (top 5%) for most categories. This is a lot more important than your class ranking, especially for those schools that look at students holistically. My advise to you is to set up a meeting with teachers you are asking for a LOR to see how they would rank you (you would need to be tactful on how you ask). My kid was a Sal for her class, but due to the class size her ranking was not going to be top 1% (1.8%). We had a discussion with her counselor and she checked off top 1%. My kid also asked 3 teachers for LORs and we asked her college counselor to select 2 (best 2 out of 3).
This is from the Common Application teacher evaluation form:
Ratings Compared to other students in his or her class year, how do you rate this student in terms of:
No basis, Below average, Average, Good (above average), Very good(well above average), Excellent (top 10%), Outstanding (top 5%), One of the top few I’ve encountered (top 1%)
on these categories:
Academic achievement
Intellectual promise
Quality of writing
Creative, original thought
Productive class discussion
Respect accorded by faculty
Disciplined work habits
Maturity
Motivation
Leadership
Integrity
Reaction to setbacks
Concern for others
Self-confidence
Initiative, independence
Overall Evaluation
Please write whatever you think is important about this student, including a description of academic and personal characteristics, as demonstrated in
your classroom. We welcome information that will help us to differentiate this student from others. (Feel free to attach an additional sheet or another reference you may
have prepared on behalf of this student.)
@ucbalumnus No, I’m applying Penn Wharton ED (yup… yikes), CMU, GT (EA), WashU, USC, Lehigh, and my safeties are UF/UMiami/UCF. (as of now, this could easily change)
@oldfort thanks for that. Right now, I’m looking at one fantastic LOR (9/10), she said I’ve been one of her best few students in 20 years of teaching Another rec is probably 6 or 7/10 since I got a B in his class but he sees my intellectually curious side. I’m hoping it comes across as clean and more unique, rather than a fluffy rec. I’m anticipating at least top 10% for everything, hopefully better.
@psywar My ECs are definitely fantastic and respectable, not really typical quizbowl/science olympiad/Asian stuff as you’d expect. Adcoms would really appreciate them IMO, I have things that clearly show passion and I’ve also got Varsity sports and other things that look well-rounded. I’ll PM you them if you’d like, since I don’t wanna take up too much space or be really annoying on this thread.
My only concern is that high ECs and good test scores are hard to “make up” for a lower GPA and class rank unfortunately (especially for an Asian), since that’s the first and most important thing that they look at.
I think your academics and ECs are great, but yada yada yada they’re ubiquitous among other candidates. What will set you apart from the herd is your essay and interview. What makes you different? What do you bring to the table that no one else can? Think about how you would answer these questions, and as my communications professor told my class, “When you interview, sell yourself like you’re doing a commercial”. Bring up what makes you great and why the school deserves you.
Rank is just one small thing in the admissions process. You’ve done the very best you can, and don’t put yourself down on it. Depending on what you plan to major in, some things might work for/against you.
Make sure you have a good swath of safeties, matches, and reaches. Look for places that you know you’ll love to be at, and that you and your family can afford (w/ the help of financial aid, grants, scholarships, etc).
One last thing, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up going to a top tier school. I really wanted to go to Northeastern for their 3 + 3 BSHS/DPT program, but my parents told me to move onto USciences because they gave me a generous scholarship and I probably wouldn’t die there. Now that I’m going to be in my second year, I can definitely say that I love my school. Even if it’s not even #1 for pharmacy (even though it is the first pharmacy school) or their Physician Assistant program got discredited, I learned so much and made so many friends that I would pick it any day over Northeastern.
I hope this helped and sorry if I couldn’t give a better response. Best of luck and you will make it in one way or another!
UF and UMiami are NOT safeties, due to acceptance rates they’re at best high matches.
UCF is a safety but you should find another one (USF? UAlabama Honors? UTD AES collegiumV? Or, striking out farther away and depending on your budget, Indiana U, UMN Twin Cities, Iowa State, Temple…? )
Interviews matter at many LACs, @oldfort. They aren’t required, but they absolutely do count. However, the OP is applying to larger schools, where you are likely correct.
If interviews are not required then I am not sure how they could count. Every Harvard applicant is interviewed because it is part of the application. It wouldn’t be fair to applicants who are not interviewed if it actually counts.
Moderator - It is not my intend to derail the thread…Maybe it is too strong of a statement to say Harvard interviews EVERY applicant, but they do make a greater effort because the interview matters more than other schools. This from Harvard’s web site:
Harvard is very rigid when it comes to interview and it is used more as part of application.
Harvard stands out when it comes to interview, even compared to their peers.
I live fairly close to Harvard. My friend works at Harvard. Her daughter applied and was interviewed. Even though she actually goes to Harvard frequently to see her mother her interview was still with a regional Harvard representative at a coffee shop. In her case her SAT was under 1000 so I didn’t think she had a chance. The alumni came out and told her that her grades were not strong enough to make her an ideal candidate (a mixture of As, Bs, and a C). She didn’t get in. However she insists that her friend with an SAT of 950 but straight As (no hooks, no national winner anything) got accepted.
@MYOS1634 I mean, we send 15 out of 18 applicants to UM from our school… Our IB program has fantastic placement in FL. Also, not a single kid last year (according to Naviance) who got a 32 or 33 got rejected from UF, even with a < 3.7 UW GPA… Just for some perspective. State schools typically have more predictable admissions as well. Only 1-2 kids from the top 50 of our grade (top 10%) got denied from UF last year, and that’s because they had < 1200 or < 25.
If we’re really getting technical, then maybe low-mid match at the most…
“Typical Asian applicants have 4.0 GPA, high test scores, math competition, violin/piano ECs”
My kids’ school is 20% Asian so about 150 Asian grads each year and only a couple have an UW 4.0 every year and only a couple do math competitions. Can we please stop making such ridiculous statements.
@VickiSoCal While I agree the statement is generalized we have also established from another thread that for some reason at your kids’ school the gpa’s seem to not be the norm. There is another thread currently on CC talking about how common 4.0 gpa’s are now while the test scores have gone down.
My school ranks unweighted and I have a UW 3.97, and my class rank is 70 out of around 816 students. Class rank is ridiculous in my opinion. -_-