<p>Feel free to share any horror stories relating to the competition :)</p>
<p>^I was lucky. Very little competition at my school =)</p>
<p>Truly, lucky you</p>
<p>People seem to think that academic competition is tough at my school, but I don’t think it really seems that way. If you spend time with our top people (a group of which I am luckily a part) you don’t really see most of us competing. I’m not trying to jump over anyone. Well, I would like to be 13th, but that’s just so I can shout 13th! like Titus Pullo.</p>
<p>It’s actually pretty fierce b/c most people in my school are EXTREMELY competitive academically and believe me, they will do anything. (Our school is considered to only take the cream of crop throughout the city, but then again, that is questionable b/c there’s plenty that get “lucky” and manage walk right in regardless of how “rigid” system of admissions claims to be)</p>
<p>Honestly, I hate to be the one saying this, but in my school you can’t trust most people, including your friends. People pretty much end up backstabbing you (academically). They lie about their grades as to be them being low just because their “competition” won’t have to try as hard. Reverse psychology, I suppose. I had people steal my textbooks/notes, just so I can’t study, which ****es me off b/c they attempt to flatter me with “Oh, you don’t need to study because you’re naturally smart. Don’t worry about it” and the like. (Btw, everyone is school yield some sort of intelligence). I hate stuff like that - too insincere. I remember back in middle school, one of my friends refused to help someone w/ their homework, who was absent the day before b/c she saw by helping her as she would be impeding her chances in becoming val/sal. </p>
<p>I’m not such a competitive person in the academic sense. I would hate to look back at high school and thinking that academics was ALL that ever mattered to me and I based on my self-worth on solely that. I choose to view as school as really a learning platform.</p>
<p>Maybe I’m over-generalizing this…</p>
<p>There is no Val/Sal/rankings at my school.</p>
<p>There are unofficial rankings, though 
People don’t care either way, though.</p>
<p>This year, the valedictorian cheated, but somehow still got the val. title? Odd, I know; especially since the teachers had to confront her. I guess at my school it depends on the class…
'09 = laidback
'10 = super laidback and they kind of already know it’s going to be
'11 = maybe about 5 people want that title
'12 = about 10 people really care, no one else does (of course… I have to be in this class)</p>
<p>My school doesn’t have a valedictorian. I think this is in our best interest though. I believe someone might die if we did.</p>
<p>it’s competitive cause everyone achieves good grades easily and everything since it’s high school… but in reality, only like a few people actually care about getting the title
i remember a lot of people (including me) who didn’t know their exact gpa and ranking…</p>
<p>My school is uncompetitive and most kids could care less about being Val/Sal. Only the Top students actually care.</p>
<p>its all underground competetion. well, at least for me it is (im #32) D;</p>
<p>It’s only bad within like the top ten or so at my school because all ten want it. Right now I’m in a three way tie for val with two other people, one’s one of my best friends and she’s uncompetitive and would be fine if I was val, and this one girl is crazy smart who’s at four right now because her SS teacher hated her, loved me, and wouldn’t put her in APUSH and she keeps saying that I cheated her out of the top spot. Certainly did not… but with my schedule for next year as long as I get all As I’ll be first for 2011 all by myself. :D</p>
<p>Pretty fierce, a lot of overachievers in my school.</p>
<p>There is on valedictorian at my school since there is no class rank. Instead we have an essay contest to decide who will be speaking.</p>
<p>I don’t think there really is. I know for my class there is no competition for val. Our class assumes the current “val” to be the official val when the time comes.</p>
<p>we have around 30 ppl tied for val and like 50+ for sal lol (we use uw gpa)</p>
<p>It is VERY competitive at my school. Our school only gives weighted credit for 3 honors/AP classes (starting next year they are giving weight to all classes). So basically people who take more than 3 honors/AP, like me, are getting screwed. Our school goes by the weighted GPA, so I know one kid who will only take 3 honors/AP classes just so he can do extremely well in all of his other blow-off classes and get val. It’s so stupid. I honestly could care less. If I’m in the top 25 students then I am fine (or just the top 10%).</p>
<p>There were two vals and no sals for 2009, both girls. Actually one of the girl’s GPA was like a tenth or hundredth higher than the other girl (I don’t know, something crazy like that), but I guess they were so close they were both named valedictorians. </p>
<p>For this year, one of my friends who might be a val has some of her other friends look out as “spies” and sees what classes people are taking, etc.</p>
<p>very difficult. you can’t take one pass fail class or you’re out of the running</p>
<p>If your school doesn’t have a val/sal, how do you find out your “unofficial ranking”?</p>