HELP! Is being in the top 10 (1-2%) of hs class really important?

[Westcoastmon]

<p>Take a look at the statistics for the Class of 2010:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2010profile.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2010profile.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Make sure your teacher recommendations are top notch and that the teachers you choose can express themselves well with the written word.</p>

<p>Take great care in crafting your essay. Admissions personnel get very tired of reading the same essay themes over and over. There are some great books with advice about crafting essays. Choose an experience or a topic that reveals something unique about you and not just another "I realized when I went to ---- or volunteered at ----- just how ------ life really was."</p>