<p>I am strong student with a GPA of 4.25 out of 4.5. According to my counselor, this GPA should give me a ranking of 8-10 in my class. However my grade is very smart, and I rank 18th. Will being in a strong class Hirt my admission chances, or will the college recognize how good my class is?</p>
<p>Generally, it will hurt you. You can tell your counselor to mention this in his/her recommendation letter. I’m telling mine to mention things about my school’s curriculum and why I’ve taken certain classes and not others. It’s a valuable way to influence admissions decisions.</p>
<p>my school is like that too it’s annoying. a valedictorian at one school could be last in a class at another. it’s not fair i don’t think when colleges base so much on whether or not you are in the top ten percent</p>
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What do you mean?</p>
<p>He/she means that his/her graduating class is academically competitive.</p>
<p>I heard from some of the many college forums and college open houses I’ve been to that for most college admissions, although being a valedictorian or salutatorian helps, they do not really care if you are #4 or #9 as long as you are in the top 10% of the class. Of course being top 1% is better. </p>
<p>I used to worry so much cuz I got 3 Bs my total high school life. One B in first semester Chemistry when I transferred to a new school junior year and 2 Bs for a French course I took at a local college. But after I heard this from somewhere I can’t remember now since it’s been a while, I don’t stress out much about it. Right now I’m in the top 3% which is fine by me.</p>
<p>Being 1, rather than 8 won’t make much of a difference. You are in the top 5%, so you are in good shape. Your ECs, LORs and essays will help you make your case. Best of luck!</p>
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<p>I couldn’t agree more with this. That’s what I think is an often overlooked benefit of standardized testing: it compares you to the country as a whole, not to a much smaller group of students. It’s much harder to argue that you were born into a competitive year or live in a competitive country than that you go to Thomas Jefferson, New Trier, etc.</p>
<p>glido, how did you calculate that the 13nouletter was in the top 5%? He/she said that she was #18, but without the class size, we can’t say which centile she is in. In other words, being #18 or 19 out of 500 is different than being #18 out of a class of 70.</p>