<p>the way my school ranks i think is really good. we have weigted gpa plus taking into account the number of classes a student has taken. there's this certain formula we use that involves gpa where honors and AP are 5, everything else 4, the number of credits taken, and the number of credits required at a certain point in your hs career. I have peers who have taken the same number of honors classes, and one who has taken one more than i have, but i've compiled so many credits beyond the required through summer school, independent study, taking classes when i was in middle school, and online courses, that i've set myself apart from the rest and earned that #1 spot. so naturally, i have taken same number of honors/ap, but more regular classes, yet i'm ranked higher. personally, i think that this system works well because it won't be a detriment to add a regular class like orchestra or art, it'll actually help as long as you maintain the same number of honors/AP classes as your peers.</p>
<p>well the reason i hate rank is i can't take classes that interest me if i want to stay in the top 10%, i have to take all AP's, and i wouldn't have to if grades were unweighted or rank was completely done away with, and also, it's impossible, because of scheduling for me to take as many as Ap's as some other juniors (i have 1 less), so i have to make it up with nearly all A+s this year and 6 AP's next year (chem, physics C, english lit., spanish lang. calc ab, us gov. and self-study calc bc, which doesn't have anything to do w/ gpa) so i'm really stressed out to just mantain my spot, much less move up</p>
<p>the annoying thing about my school is that if you take IB, your classes are ALL. WEIGHTED. meaning that your rank is boosted about 20-30 people...so the top 10 are all IB kids.</p>
<p>Unweighted GPAs are unfair, imo, when it comes to class ranks. But oh well. Can't do anything about it. If 1 valedictorian has a 4.0 with all easy classes, and the other a 4.0 with all hard classes, that's just the way it is.</p>
<p>what is IB, everyone talks about it, but no one in my school has ever heard of it</p>
<p>'totle-</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ibo.org%5B/url%5D">http://www.ibo.org</a></p>
<p>i think school rank should just go away, another reason is if you had a bad freshman year, it forever haunts your cumalative average, when plenty of schools don't even use it,</p>
<p>Co-valedictorian is definitely a dumb idea. I say this because I was valedictorian of my class and I feel I was forced to share it with another student who had not worked nearly as hard as I did. I was ranked #1 for a significant amount of time, and because there's a limit to how high GPAs can go, the second valedictorian was able to reach #1 status only at the very last semester of our senior year. I thought it unfair, but what can you do...</p>
<p>Competition annoys me. Especially in the realm of academics. I go for good grades because I want to do well. Not because I want to get the highest grade in the class or anything superficial like that. Unweighted GPAs would definitely cut back on cut throat competition, but I don't agree with that. Competition propels us forward. It makes people strive harder to do better.</p>
<p>I see unweighted GPAs as a sort of altruistic way of equalizing students so that nobody's feelings are hurt. But that's completely wrong, because we are NOT all equal. The nerdy girl who stays up all night to ace her Physics test definitely deserves to be put on a different level than the boy who slacked the night away chatting on AIM. Probably a bad example, but I hope you get the point.</p>
<p>i disagree unweighting simply puts everyone on the same scale, instead of student#1 being able to have a possible 5.0gpa and student #2 being able to have a 4.5gpa, it lets people take more classes that interest them than having to take an ap class, for example, i really don't want to take physics, but if i want to stay in the top10% i have to, and if I fall out of that range, i can kiss columbia goodbye</p>
<p>Our school doesn't even rank. I heard it was because it would cause too much stress for students.</p>
<p>I think last year we had 2 valedictorians and 2 saludictorians (and about 30 very high honors, 30 high honors, 30 honors)...The year before we had 1 valedictorian and 3 saludictorians.</p>
<p>I don't know how the school ranks people, if they take electives into account, and whatnot. I'm taking 2 non-AP/honors electives this year, and I'm taking 7 classes (max). If I was valedictorian, but decided the administration decided to screw me over because I took those 2 electivies my junior year for a punk who took 5 all AP/honors classes, I'd fight for my rightful spot. Maybe I took the same 5 AP/Honors. Maybe I got the same grade. In theory, I worked more hours, spent more time, AND got the same grades. I should deserve that spot. If you're .00001 away from valedictorian, well, suck it. Think about how to improve it next semester. For us, it doesn't help in college admissions because we don't know our class rankings until graduation when they announce the vale/salud/v. high honors/high honors/honors people. Only then do you know if you're in the top 5%, 10%, etc.</p>
<p>Bottom line: They should just count academic classes (your standard english, history, math, science, foreign language). </p>
<p>The only problem with that is some people in their junior and senior years don't take, for example, history because they took it at a CC, or don't like math or science and they've fufilled the requirements. What should be done then?</p>
<p>Our school doesn't rank, because it's a Quaker school. They don't even tell people their GPA's.</p>
<p>And while I agree that co-valedictorians is a stupid idea, the thought that anyone is really that concerned with it is kind of frightening.</p>
<p>Guess what, people. My school DOESN'T have Valedictorian! Instead, we have something called "(the school's name) Scholars" that would pick about 6 seniors "epitomizes a spirit of scholarship, a love of learning, a zeal to go beyond expectations, and burning desire to learn" (Of course, from my school's hand book). IMO, this system is better than the traditional Valedictorian system.</p>
<p>There are 2 students that have identical number of AP/IB classes, but one student has taken more non-AP/IB classes. The student who has taken more classes has a lower GPA than the student who has taken the minimum number of classes. When both students are straight A, it us unfair for the student taking the fewer classes to be valedictorian. In fact the student taking fewer classes could have a B and still out GPA the other student. So you get penalized for wanting to learn more.</p>
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<p>Yeah, thats pretty much the exact same that is happening to me at my school.</p>
<p>Just would like to point out that in most cases, being a valedictorian doesn't help you get into college, because you've already applied and been accepted by the end of senior year. Unless, of course, your school only uses the first 3 years or something wacky like that.</p>
<p>here's my case. my best friend is ahead of me because i took an extra non-honors typing class. we both have 4.0s unweighted, he has 4.632 and i have a 4.61 something. the only reason he is ahead is because i took extra classes and played sports. if you dont think we should be co-valedictorians you either have no heart or are my vice-principal.</p>
<p>I kinda agree that there shouldnt be two valedictorians but it kinda sucks if some pop quiz you took in sophomore year turns out to be the points that cost you valedictorian.</p>
<p>if something like that happened to me I'd make a time machine and prep myself for the pop quiz.</p>
<p>Well, sparing people's feelings on a matter like this is ridiculous. At my school, we usually have about 10 valedictorians because all it takes is a 4.0. This might change with my class ('06) now that weighted gpa is in effect for AP courses (but not honors, rarrgh).</p>