<p>I recently received my class rank (20th) and am wondering if it sounds possible to jump up to top 5, or maybe even 1st, by senior year. I'm still a freshman, so there might yet be time to improve my GPA (assuming that I work my butt off), but it's still quite a jump... :/ And my school is really competitive, so I dunno. Opinions?</p>
<p>If the people ahead of you have GPAs that literally can’t be higher, then no. If its POSSIBLE for you to get a high GPA than them, then yeah.</p>
<p>You’re going to have to rely on a combination of some people slipping and you working hard. It’s only your freshman year, you’re fine.</p>
<p>Dude, it’s your freshman year calm down. It’s possible, just find your A-game and stay on it.</p>
<p>why does it even matter!
Class rank is a bunch of BS anyway.</p>
<p>Maybe for you it is…</p>
<p>20 is really great though, right? I’m not in high school yet though so I dunno</p>
<p>Depends on the people ahead of you honestly. You could be doing great, but everyone ahead of you could be doing swell also. It’s a combo of grades and good luck 
20 sounds really good depending on class size! I’m around 35 in a class of 310, and I know I can’t pass up the kids ahead of me :P</p>
<p>I have a friend who is kind of sneaky and cares too much about ranking but this is what he did, during your junior year at my school you have the option of taking algebra 2 and pre-calculus so you can take AP Calculus/Statistics your senior year. AP Calculus and Statistics are both known to be notoriously hard so while everybody took that class, they all struggled and many of the the top 10 got Ds or Cs in the class. He didn’t want to do that so he took regular algebra 2. Another thing was that many people took AP European History and that’s also known for being the hardest class my school has to offer. He didn’t take that class either. Oh and while everyone took AP Biology he took forensics (which is an easy A+) So at the end of junior year he was ranked #9 and by the end of senior year he was ranked #3 (and he was class president) because he was smart about his course selection.</p>
<p>I mean, I wouldn’t do the same because I want hard classes but that’s what he did haha.</p>
<p>Top 5 is REALLY hard assuming you’re in a competitive school like mine. Problem is the top 5 basically maintain all As throughout their high school career. Freshman year is the easiest and the top people usually start slipping sophomore and even more in junior year. So if you work your butt off and get all As I think you can make it to at least 10. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Also don’t take easy classes like an above poster suggested because colleges value ap and pre-ap (honors) classes with a B- faaaar more than easy classes with a A+.</p>
<p>At my school the top 9 all had straight A’s throughout high school so it really is just dependent on how the other people in your class do.</p>
<p>
I don’t believe this is true. Only your overall ranking and GPA really matter.</p>
<p>@blahblah9393 Many top colleges have repeatedly said that the most important thing is that you are taking the most rigorous schedule available. So no, that is incorrect.</p>
<p>But see, the thing is I DO have straight A’s in advanced classes (6 A+ and 2 A-). It’s just that everyone above me has ridiculously high grades, despite a rigorous workload. Added with the fact that I slacked off big-time compared to everyone above me this year, I’m just not sure if getting my act together these next few years will compensate for the amount of ground I’ve already lost. Oh well… Thanks for the advice! 
I definitely plan on taking the most challenging classes I can handle.</p>
<p>do your best, work hard, whatever happens will happen, as long as you ‘did your best’ and ___ (insert other cliche). </p>
<p>but please take the challenging courses, having #1 class rank by taking easy “algebra 2” and other easy A classes is just pathetic.</p>
<p>At my school, all you need is straight A’s and you’re in first. It doesn’t matter if one person’s As are 4.0 and another’s is 3.7 or whatever the lowest a gpa is. They are still number one. However, that’s only if you take all honors, which is awesome!</p>
<p>I was ranked 70th or so after freshman year and I’m 7th now after junior year. I took way more APs than anyone else this year and got straight As so it is doable.</p>