Do some colleges compare you with other students who apply from your school?

<p>I was reading a thread and it said:</p>

<p>The thing that you want to look at it is: "How do your grades and SAT scores compare with the other students in your high school who apply to UCSB?" You will be compared to the other kids in your school. So, you may have a 3.8, but if the average GPA of students who apply from your school is 4.1, then you may have a problem. However, sadly you need a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the UCs.</p>

<p>Is this true? Because I'm ranked about 12th in my class.</p>