<p>I'm asking this because I go to a very competitive and recognized High School, ranked 40 in the nation and so I am only ranked around 35 out of 260 kids. My 8th grade classes really screwed my gpa, but my 9-12 grades are really good. I was just wondering if class rank is really that important, and is being ranked 35 out of 260 good for schools like northeastern, BU, GWU.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Rank is very important, especially for top schools. However, if your school is well-known by top schools and their peers, colleges may be willing to dig a little deeper into the pool since they know kids are academically prepared almost across the board. I’d say the schools you’ve listed would probably (depending on your hs’s specific relationship with them) be good matches.</p>
<p>Thanks for your feedback, and if it makes any difference I’m a full IB Diploma Candidate so I’ve been taking all IB classes 11th and 12th grade.</p>
<p>Rank is important because it is a large factor in many college ranking lists. Many students that land in the second or third decile at competitive high schools end up with more limited choices as a result. For that reason a lot of schools have stopped providing rank altogether in an effort to increase the chances of their students who would be below the top 10%. Many large schools don’t have the luxury of providing a holistic review to all applicants and have to make decisions based on numbers such as rank, GPA and test scores. At those institutions, having a lower rank can be a firm roadblock to admission.</p>
<p>Rank is the mod important factor at most selective colleges. Your rank in fine, even very good, for the schools you name.</p>