<p>Right now my class rank isn't looking so good... but I can a MUCH higher rank by the time first semester ends. Unfortunately, thats around the end of January for my school. My GC says that they'll send 1st semester grades, but she keeps on dodging the question on whether or not the rank and GPA listed under the 1st semester profile is what colleges see, or if it arrives after the colleges have already seen the end-of-junior-year transcript. Anyone have any idea?</p>
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<li><p>Colleges see whatever your high school sends them. If your school recalculates class rank after your seventh semester, and if it reports that recalculated rank to colleges, then they’ll see it. I have learned on College Confidential that some high schools do this. My kids’ school, by contrast, ranks students once and only once: at the end of junior year.</p></li>
<li><p>What makes you so sure you can realize a great increase in your class rank in just one semester? Class rank is not completely within your control. The only way you can improve your rank is to do better than the people ranked above you. Even if you get all A’s, your rank doesn’t budge if all the people ranked above you get the same grades. And, it should be noted, those folks at the top of the class got there in the first place because they always get really good grades.</p></li>
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