I know that your high school record matters a lot if you’re applying to schools as a college freshman, but I was wondering if my high school class rank in particular will be of importance, especially if I end up having a 4.0 at my college and/or being at the top of my college class.
For reference, I am a high school senior who is attending a T25 school in the fall. For personal reasons, I am hoping to transfer to another T25 school after my freshman year of college. In high school, I’ve taken many APs and have a 3.9+ UW GPA/1500+ SAT. However, I’m only in the top 25% of my high school class (and before anyone asks how my GPA is a 3.9, it’s because of grade inflation). So…my class rank isn’t great. It could admittedly be a lot, lot better.
Considering the strength of the rest of my high school record, however, would I still stand a chance at getting accepted to top schools as a first year student, given that I get involved in college and get a high GPA (preferably a 3.9+)? Or should I just wait until my sophomore year of college to apply as a transfer?