<p>For highly selective colleges, how important is class rank vs. GPA?</p>
<p>For example:
I am in the top 10%
With a 3.966/4.0 GPA UW
I am ranked 47/617
@ a decently competitive public high school (sends maybe 3 kids per year to ivies- students aren't encouraged to apply outside the midwest.)</p>
<p>Will rank hurt my chances?</p>
<p>By itself class rank plays a small role – and many schools, including most privates, do not even calculate it any more. But, in the larger sense that your class rank is a function of your academic choices, it depends. Is your class rank determined by weighted GPA or are there 46 unweighted GPA’s higher than yours?</p>
<p>If the former, this suggests you are not taking the most challenging curriculum in your school. If so, then this will definitely damage your attractiveness to highly selective colleges more than the rank itself. If the latter, then I see an admissions committee reaching one of two conclusions: either the crowd at the top is the result of your school being insufficiently discriminating in its grading policies, or it is clear from your transcript that you have indeed challenged yourself at the expense of your ranking. If the first, I would expect them to turn to your AP, IB, or SAT Subject test scores to get a better measure of your academic abilities. If the second, then your class rank will mean little to them in the light that you are pushing yourself much harder than your higher-ranking classmates.</p>
<p>Ah okay, thanks for being so informative!
My school recognizes that many of the top students have never challenged themselves. So they’ve begun to eliminate A+ and give weighted grades for AP courses. Because of the change I have no idea what the class rank is determined by…</p>
<p>I will have 7/12 AP Courses finished by senior year…I dont know if this is bad, but 5 of those will be taken senior year.
I got a 5 on my first AP Test but probably did not do so well on the second.</p>
<p>Thanks again :)</p>
<p>I had forgotten about the possibility that your grading scheme might recognize the A+. That complicates things even more, for some colleges might ignore the grade and others might consider it. In your case, I would <em>guess</em> that your situation will be better if you have very few B’s to go with few A+'s than if you have quite a few B’s counter-balanced by A+'s.</p>
<p>Generally speaking 7 AP courses is a demanding curriculum, especially if several are the year-long variety, such as Chem, Bio, Physics, Calc, English Lit or Comp, USH, WH, etc. Since colleges will not be able to see your test results in five of these, I suspect your first semester grade in the related classes will be of special interest. It wouldn’t hurt, too, if one or two of your teachers in these classes could write a letter of recommendation testifying to your prowess in their subject.</p>
<p>Well, I was always pretty lazy in freshman year and never really tried for the A+ while it was offered. (I only got a few in science, language, and ONE in a very very shameful elective course).
I’ve only had 4 B’s in my entire high school career. (3 in Math & One in Anatomy).</p>
<p>Okay, yeah that’s great advice!
I’m planning to have my College-level Spanish teacher write a letter of rec. Along with my Honors English teacher from junior year.
:)</p>
<p>How is 4 B’s a 3.96 UW gpa?</p>
<p>Cause that’s 4 B’s and 36 A’s.
We take 16 classes per year, and 18 in freshman year.</p>
<p>That is still not a 3.96.</p>
<p>Well…that’s what my transcript says.</p>
<p>I’m sure that the few A+'s I had in freshman year helped me out.
And that 3/4 B’s were B+'s?</p>
<p>Does this matter?</p>
<p>It depends how your school calculates.</p>
<p>If B+ = 3.33 and A+ = 4.33 (typical but not universal), then 1 B, 3 B+, 5 A+, and 31 A = 3.966 GPA.</p>
<p>Thank you my friend!!!
That would be exactly it, unless you want to get into the messy math.
(A+ are actually 4.2, Starting Junior year AP’s are weighted 4.8 and A+ are eliminated,
I had an A+ for two terms in APWH in sophomore year, and an A in APUSH Junior year. -> this is why I don’t calculate my GPA and just let my school counseling office do the messy work).</p>
<p>But yeah! Pretty much?</p>
<p>So in the end, it may/may not hurt my chances.
But I’m leaning towards not because of the criteria Descartesz mentioned…</p>
<p>That’s a great rank for 97% of the colleges in the Country. It would only be a problem at very top colleges.</p>
<p>Haha okay…
…
…well i’m looking at a lot of top colleges 
mainly top 50 schools,
one ivy & then down from there!</p>
<p>The ivy will be tough unless you’re at a super competitive high school (or unless it’s Cornell) but depending on scores I’d say you’re fine for anything below the top 20 or so and maybe some in the top 20 with over a 2250.</p>