<p>I attend a highly competitive public high school and have taken a fairly rigorous course load (will have taken 10 APs by graduation) with a GPA 3.95/4.0 unweighted; 4.6 weighted, but my class rank may be at about top 12% (actual rank not available until October). Will this hurt my chances of admission to ND? Seems from past threads that most accepted students had very high class ranks. Otherwise I believe my stats and ECs are pretty good
(SAT 2240; SAT II's 790 USH, 800 WH; 5 APs with scores of 5).</p>
<p>Class rigor is more important than rank. It will hurt slightly that you are outisde of the top 10% - but only if your high school reports rank. Many competitive HS don’t report rank to colleges on their transcripts for this reason. Your test scores certainly confirm that you are a bright, accomplished student. If your ECs, essays and LOR are solid, you will be a good candidate with above average chances for admission.</p>
<p>As an aside, grade inflation apparently run rampant when a student with nearly straight A’s and 10 weighted classes isn’t top 10%. Wow!</p>
<p>Thank you, rmldad. One strategy I hear that some kids use to increase class rank is to take their required “regular” courses during the summer to gain credit, since these classes do not give you extra weight as would honors or gifted/talented, or AP. I have had one B in high school, yet may not be in top 10% - frustrating!</p>
<p>My school doesn’t even report rank, so I doubt it’s that important. I was probably somewhere around top 10% when I applied, I believe. I was accepted. They’ll look mostly at how rigorous your classes are, if you’re taking advantage of the opportunities offered at your school, etc. I wouldn’t stress over rank. Sounds like you’ve done a great job with your high school classes so far! Good luck to you!</p>