How much does class ranking matter?

<p>I'm new at CC and I just realized I definitely posted this question in the wrong forum, and don't know how to delete it. Anyways, I hope you all can help me out.</p>

<p>I hold a steady 4.0 gpa (94.35 cum.) but I'm ranked 54th in my class out of roughly 435 students. The only class I really didn't do well in was driver's ed, sadly. A lot of students ahead of me in the class take super easy/regular classes, or bump their gpa up with multiple bands or choruses (automatic 100). I'm not saying they all do, but the 3rd in my class has a 120%... in strength and conditioning.</p>

<p>So, my question is.. does class ranking matter as much as everyone says it does? My mom is absolutely ****ed at me for letting my ranking slip so low but I have been doing everything I can to save it. (Asian moms. Sigh)</p>

<p>I take all advanced classes and AP, and I've gotten A's in all of these classes. Right now I'm taking Spanish 4, Advanced Anatomy & Physiology, Pre-Ap Lit, Physics, Pre-Calc, and APUSH. Compared to someone who is 20th in the class taking 'Criminal Justice' and 'Sports Med', will I even stand a chance to colleges? I'm looking at pretty prestigious schools and I know being Asian doesn't help at all. (Think Swarthmore, William & Mary, etc.)</p>

<p>I graduate next year (Junior this year) so I know I don't have a lot of time to fix my grades. SAT wise, I'm alright.. in 2000-2100 range although I need to bump it up. I do tons of extra curriculars, and swim year round. But I just want to know if bein 54th is really hurting my ability to get into a good college.</p>

<p>Sorry for this being so long, I'm just a bit upset! Thanks for reading if you stuck around this long! </p>

<p><em>NOTE: My school doesn't weight grades... an A in an AP class is the same as an A in a regular class. BS, I know -__-</em></p>

<p>It’s not as important as a lot of other factors. Some high schools have eliminated class rank altogether. Just do well on the SAT and keep your GPA up.</p>

<p>It depends upon the school. For instance U Texas uses rank as its most important admission criterion. Look up the Common Data Set, section C7, to see what weight each attribute gets in admission.</p>