Hi! I have a really good SAT score (2110, but that was without studying so hopefully I can bring it up a little) and GPA (4.0 UW 4.5 W as of sophomore year, will probably go down a little), and I go to a very good tech school. We got nationally recognized a few years ago, I think. It’s by no means one of the best schools in the country, but it’s a very good public school. We had to apply to get in, take an admissions test, go through an interview, get recommendations, and everything, so we’re probably some of the smartest kids in the county. I’m looking at some more elite liberal arts schools, and I’m worried about class rank. It’s very difficult to place in the top 10% out of the 160 of us, and I doubt I’m in the top 16. I’ve heard stories of people with 4.2 GPAs that barely place in the top 50%.
So, how important is class rank in admissions? Will colleges probably look at my SAT score, GPA, and school, and understand why I’m not in the top decile? Or will it hurt my chances of admission, especially for my reach schools like Pomona and Vassar?
Thank you!
The more rigorous the high school, then the less rank matters. For instance if you are at a hs with 3 academic tracks, then rank will matter more, but if at your school everyone is on a rigorous track then rank matters less. And at small high schools rank matters less.
If you’re aiming for Pomona and Vassar, you should aim for top 5%, not just top 10%. If you were at an average performing high school, you’d probably have to be in the top few spots to have decent chances.
Just think of it this way: If you are the 80th kid in your school, why should Vassar or Pomona, which by the way is the one of the hardest schools to get into in the country, accept you but not your superior peers?
When you come up with the answer, highlight it as much as you can in your application.
Also, if you’re really concerned about class rank, consider transferring out?
Rank matters. As explained above they want to see how you perform in a competitive environment.
If you are say in the top 30% rather than the top 10% that could raise eyebrows.
It depends upon the school. For U TX rank is the #1 attribute used for admission. It varies at other schools. Look up the Common Data Set, section C7 to see.
I’m going to disagree with most of these posts about class rank at Pomona and Vassar and similar LACs. Your school will provide each college you apply to with a profile of the school (you can get a copy of it from your GC). It will note things such as number of APs offered/taken/scores, and (iirc) SAT/ACT ranges. Your regional rep from the LAC will also know that your school is competitive. This context will be considered as part of the holistic review of your application.
LACs are typically more interested in what you bring to the table overall than your secondary school rank. @Erin’s Dad’s suggestion of checking out the CDS for the colleges that you are interested in is useful.
In the meantime, I can tell you that my unhooked, over-represented demographic daughter was not in the top 10% of her (competitive) HS class- and she is loving Vassar.