<p>My public high school does not provide class rank, in part because my school is quite competitive and there are quite a few students with high GPAs as a result (believe me, our school does NOT inflate). Apparently, however, when a HS does not rank, colleges themselves will calculate a class rank for each student; at least, so I've heard on these forums. Many posters additionally claim that unless a school is as prestigious as, say, Phillips-Exeter, having a rank not in the top 10 can significantly reduce admissions chances. </p>
<p>Now my school, while well-known, is not that prestigious; however, my HS does feed quite a lot of students to top schools. Of the most recent graduating class or approximately 360 students, probably 20-25% are moving on to top 20 colleges. Most notably, there are 11 going on to Cornell, 8 going on to Columbia, I think 8 going to HYP, and dozens of others at other top institutions (interestingly enough, even though my school is in NY, I think there are about 13 going to Vanderbilt). The vast majority of these students were unhooked; there are only 2 athletic recruits I know of, and only 1 URM. </p>
<p>Surely, these schools did not calculate class ranks? Or if they did, is it possible that a class rank below the top 10 students did not significantly bring down admissions chances? Is it possible that HS prestige is a larger factor than it is perceived to be on these boards?</p>
<p>Many schools in my area resemble yours in terms of college admission. We as well do not rank and (perhaps as a result) we have members below the unofficial 10% attending UPenn, MIT, Cornell, Duke, WUSTL, and 20 or so students to UC Berkeley. Bottom line is this: colleges will use every resource they have to substitute for the lack of class rankings including counselor recs, school reports, and past admissions data. The last of these seems to be the most useful in your case as the school will have a good picture of where you stand if that school is quite popular. As for not-so-popular schools, you may have an advantage in this process. I know liberal arts colleges in particular are applied to by few students so there are kids below the unofficial (keep in mind I’m saying this because we don’t actually release rankings, but the top few deciles are released at the end of the year) ranking that have been accepted to Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wellsley, and the ilk.</p>
<p>If the college sees a lot of apps from your school, they should be able to ballpark your standing to within a few percent. For example, if you go to Princeton High School and apply to
Princeton University, but let’s say PHS doesn’t rank, PU should still be able to look at your transcript and say “he’s roughly in the top 10%” especially if the guidance counselor checks off top 10% rather than 5 or 20%.</p>
<p>mcgoogly, I don’t go to either of those schools; I believe both of those require a placement exam, whereas mine is just a good public school filled with rich kids. Stuyvesant and Bronx Science are in a whole other tier.</p>
<p>DougBetsy, I was specifically saying top 10 people, as most people here tend to believe that simply being in the top 10% is usually not enough for an unhooked applicant. Many people would go further and narrow that down to vale/salu. But regardless, as I’ve said, there are plenty of applicants outside of the top 10% who go on to top schools.</p>
<p>Hmm, I should have included that of the top 20-25% are going on to top LACs instead of top universities. Nevertheless, there are a lot going to top schools, big or small.</p>
<p>Bump…I would like to get some more feedback as most people here are convinced that one needs a high class rank, regardless of the school that person attends.</p>
<p>If you attend a prestigious feeder school, there is more wiggle room with regards to GPA and class rank. For instance, someone in the estimated top 25th percentile remains competitive for the top schools.</p>
<p>That colleges calculate rank on their own is a stretch to say, but you obviously need to be among the strongest in your class, able to measure up with your fellow applicants.</p>
<p>It’s not worth agonizing over something like this.</p>