<p>I am currently 3rd out of class of 288. Does my rank basically shut me out from some of the top schools like brown and Cornell?</p>
<p>I doubt it. That’s almost top 1%. A lot of students’ class rank gets dragged down due to taking elective. Colleges look at your transcript and the context of your school.</p>
<p>I had a slow start freshman year and I just hope it doesn’t impact me now.</p>
<p>Are you joking? You’re top 5 in your school, it doesn’t matter. What gets you into top schools is not your ranking. Keep in mind, most of the people gunning for those spots have also gotten good grades, what sets you apart are your ECs, SATs, and LORs.</p>
<p>Of course not. Most admitted students to both schools do not submit class rank, and the vast majority of those that do are not among the top 2 students. For example, the CDS for Cornell indicates only 33% of the freshman class submitted class rank and that they consider 8 other categories more important than class rank. The Brown CDS indicates that only 37% of the freshman class submitted class rank, and again other categories are more important. They even rate level of applicant’s interest as more important. The Brown class profile indicates that of the few that did provide class rank, more than 75% were not in the top 2. I was accepted to both schools without even being in the top 10% of my HS class.</p>
<p>I might as well post my questions about class rank importance here, too.</p>
<p>Apparently, most applicants to highly selective colleges don’t report class rank—is this because these applicants come from schools that don’t calculate or record class rank at all, or because these students decided not to report it even if they had the option? I am asking because my daughter is second in her class (4.0 unweighted) even though she has higher letter grades than the prospective val; she transferred to the school too late to have taken two of the weighted courses that her competitor took. However, the CommonApp doesn’t make it clear whether students can choose individually to report class rank REGARDLESS of school policy. Do you think she should be able to talk to her GC about not reporting the rank, even if the high school is accustomed to doing so?</p>
<p>@TexMexMom You can’t decide not to report your rank. If a student is not reporting their rank it is because their school does not rank (as is often the case at the more competitive private schools that often send people to top schools).</p>
<p>Even if a school does not report class rank colleges can infer what it is based on the individual student’s grades and the school profile sent by the HS.</p>