Currently, I am a high school junior in the top 25% of my class. My rank is 10/60. However, I am considering attending a more competitive high school for senior year. The benefit of switching schools is that the new school, which is a middle college, would allow me to take classes at a community college, as opposed to taking APs. If I choose to go there, I will fall into the top 50%, or even the top 75%. My question is, how much does class rank matter? Will this drop in rank hurt my applications? I am looking at competitive schools; if switching will hurt my chances of getting in, I’ll stay at my current school. What should I do?
I don’t know how you already know this.
It’s different for each college. Extremely important in TX public Us, not at all in some colleges. Google the Common Data Set for each school and look at section C.
Why would you consider switching schools senior year? Regardless of class rank, switching classes could cause issues such as losing leadership positions in clubs you have been a part of for three years, having your guidance counselor recommendation written by someone who doesn’t know you well, and adapting to a new academic and social environment while working on college applications.