Sorry if any of this comes off as a brag or anything.
I’m a junior in the IB program, and I’ve just been ranked 1/~600 in my class. My GPA is a 4.95. AP/Honors/IB are all weighted the same at my school. I took the toughest schedule of any other kid as well.
Does the rank help much in terms of admissions to the top universities? I know that ECs and other things matter at these schools, but I feel like, reading through other threads, my academic achievement doesn’t really mean much in context.
They only care whether you’re in the top 10% class ranking.
Past a certain GPA threshold, that extra .01 GPA point is meaningless.
There are tens of thousands of high schools in the US, so at least that many Vals, the same number of Sals, plus all the kids who could be Val or Sal but are number three, the hooked kids, international kids, athletes, low-income high achievers, etc… So, it’s great to be the Val, but doesn really give you an edge when it comes to tippy top colleges.
There are over 30K HS’s in the US alone. While all do not have vans/sals, since many do not rank, even if a good percentage did, there are still more vans/sals than there are places at HYPMS. Additionally, at most schools that do have vans/sals, they are announced after admissions decisions have been made. As mentioned above, as long as you are in the top 10%, you’ve crossed one hurdle. Of course, that’s still no guarantee. But to HYPMS, top 10% vs top 5%, no real difference.
The more important thing is that you have done very well in a challenging IB curriculum.
I think that the valedictorian spot only is very significant if you are coming from a well-known prep/competitive high school.
@GMTplus7 @happy1 @julianstanley @skieurope @Lindagaf
Thanks, all. I guess I made a mistake focusing on my GPA rather than fully dedicating myself to one EC.At least I got bragging rights though, haha.
Probably not even then. My well-known HS has no valedictorian.
One EC rarely gets you in, either. There are tons of great colleges that will be happy to have you, you have not made any “mistakes”.
I don’t see a mistake either . . . valedictorian is an achievement that you will have all you life!
My uncle is in his 70’s and, not that he makes a big deal of it himself - but my mom’s whole family still thinks it’s cool that he was a val.
Celebrate and hang in there for senior year. What will be will be!
@intparent I have many ECs that are not too deep; I just mean one where I could really go out and demonstrate my passion, like research or something.
@SouthFloridaMom9 Thanks!!
You are missing my point. You will have great college options. There are more than five colleges worth attending in the US. If you are making a mistake, it is focusing too much on tippy top schools.
My kid didn’t know she was salutatorian until May of her senior year. Most kids don’t know when they’re applying whether their rank will be the same at the end of the year. FWIW, the Val got into Stanford, my D didn’t, but I don’t think the rank had anything to do with it.
I think it may not hurt, but you have to keep in mind that many valedictorians apply to these schools. That is why test scores are so important, they differentiate people who have similar or the same grades.
@intparent Yeah, I think I am, which could lead to disappointment down the road when it comes to the results.
@SeinfeldFan1 I, too, love Seinfeld! I do have competitive test scores for the top schools.
@SeinfeldFan1 at the top level, having a 34 or a 36 on the ACT doesn’t really make the difference, except,at some colleges like CalTech. It’s all the other stuff that makes the difference. Essays, recs, ECs.
So adjust your plan now. Get a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Look through to identify some other schools that are possibly easier to get into as options as well. Build a list of matches and safeties that you would genuinely want to attend. Then if you get into a top school and decide it is the best fit, gravy. If not, you are prepared with other good choices.
@Lindagaf great point. I think you hit the nail on the head by saying CalTech is a school where a 36 on the ACT could be much more helpful than a 36 for UChicago or Harvard.
@GMTplus7 true, and even I know someone who was in just the top 15% of his class who got into UChicago.
Chicago loves high test scores, it would do more good there than Harvard, IMHO.