<p>Ok, so I got my class rank today and I'm 23/570. This puts me within the top 5%, but it's got me a bit concerned. I know I can't do anything about it now, but what are your thoughts? </p>
<p>Oh, and my high school is suburban, public, (very?) competitive. I think (almost) everyone in ranked in the top 40-50 takes the hardest or near-hardest course load available. However, I'm not sure exactly how many people get into top schools each year. 2 years ago we did really well, but last year was so-so (Coincidentally, 2 years ago had more URMs). </p>
<p>I'm aiming for schools like Stanford (probably SCEA), Yale, etc, etc but I also have "lower" schools on my list like BC, Tufts, Northwestern, etc, etc. </p>
<p>Oh and one last thing, at the end of the first semester this year, a final rank is calculated with our senior year grades, so hopefully I can improve my rank.</p>
<p>That's almost exactly what my rank was (19/470) in high school. Sounds a lot like my high school, too. I had a 34 on the ACT, a 2160 SAT, very good ECs, and was rejected at Stanford, Yale, UCB, UCLA, waitlisted at Reed, admitted at U of Washington and USC (with a hefty merit scholarship).</p>
<p>My friend got accepted to UChicago with a rank of 30/220 (that's right, outside 10%). Did I mention we went to a ****ty blue collar high school where 47% go to two-year schools, the next 35% don't make it out of the first few counties (going to schools with names like "The University of Southern Maine" or "The University of Maine"), and where 5% end up in some vocational training like hairdressing, and where 5% don't go to any kind of postsecondary institution at all?</p>
<p>You spoilt privileged kids ought to stop fussing.</p>
<p>My school rank was like 18/213. Did you know my class started out with 280 students freshman year? Guess what happened to the other 67? If you haven't figured it out by now -- that's right, they became drop-outs.</p>
<p>Oh no. You're in the top 4% of your class. That is indeed a bad rank.</p>
<p>No, seriously. What is with this belief that if you're not in the 1% of your class, it means that you're a failure? It's fine! My rank is yours squared! Be happy! And don't forget! You're more than your scores, jeez!</p>
<p>I'm sorry if I sound kind of rude. It's just that, the top people in high school classes have to be some of the silliest people I have ever seen.</p>
<p>BC has a very low acceptance rate. Tufts isn't far behind. </p>
<p>You really need to redefine your concept of "lower schools". Those are far from safeties. In fact, they are far from high matches. </p>
<p>I've always resented class rank, because it often was that the least intellectually inquisitive ended up making the top 10 or something. The ironic thing is that none of the graduates from this year who made "top 10" are going to particularly selective schools, although they're going to decent names like BU; my valedictorian made it into Tufts, but turned it down due to insufficient financial aid. Though their achievements were far from mediocre, it happened that students from outside that top rank were accepted to more known and far-flung schools. Of course, I would like to think it's because we had more intellectual "soul" than those who were at the top ranks and yet were taking courses 1 or 2 levels below us (e.g. taking AP Calc AB while we were taking linear algebra), but maybe it's something else.</p>
<p>*BC has a very low acceptance rate. Tufts isn't far behind.</p>
<p>You really need to redefine your concept of "lower schools". Those are far from safeties. In fact, they are far from high matches.
*
You misread my statement. By "lower" schools (notice how i put it in parentheses) I meant lower in comparison to Yale and Stanford. By no means did I insinuate that they were matches or safeties, just easier to get into the YS. </p>
<p>You spoilt privileged kids ought to stop fussing.</p>
<p>Wow. You're completely off the mark here. Although my high school is competitive, a lot of kids still don't graduate, go to community college, go into a pre-set career path like hairdressing, etc. I would say this accounts for about 20%, or over 100 kids in my class. Another 20% go to "no name" state schools as well. Think before you criticize. </p>
<p>Thanks to those who provided constructive posts. It's just that it's hard to see people in the top 5 on these boards constantly getting rejected without getting nervous about my own ranking. If anyone else has any more thoughts, please feel free to comment. :D</p>
<p>
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By no means did I insinuate that they were matches or safeties, just easier to get into the YS.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If you made analogies between college admissions and quantum chemistry, yes, BC would be "easier" in the sense that that it's easier to place into an unfilled orbital than to pair up with an electron of opposite spin in the same orbital. But they would certainly all be on the same subshell, never mind energy level. (If energy state was analogous to difficulty of admissions.)</p>
<p>In terms of excellence they are very closely matched. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I would say this accounts for about 20%, or over 100 kids in my class. Another 20% go to "no name" state schools as well.
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</p>
<p>This means 60% go to fairly respectable schools.</p>
<p>Compare this figure to 5-15% for my school. </p>
<p>Class rank is never sufficient by itself. It must be complemented with coursework to be useful. </p>
<p>If you're a valedictorian but you're stuck in AP Calc AB your senior year, I'd say that's a far less desirable scenario than if you were just within the top 10% and were dual-enrolling your senior year, doing ordinary differential equations.</p>
<p>You should say less selective instead of 'lower'. When you said lower, I thought you meant 'not good as Stanford etc' and I'm sure others thought it too. No offense! I just thought what you said was weird.</p>
<p>You think being in top 5% is bad? I'm 33/207. I'm stuck there because a pack of jocks cheat to get good grades in classes they have no right to be in. And does anyone say anything? NOOOO, because all their father's work in the school. So don't start complaining because top five 5% is too low. You try being in an AP Chem class where they sit at a lab table and light matches all period. I don't mean to sound like I'm lecturing anyone, but my friend was complaining about her rank and she's 9th in the class! I told her the same thing!</p>
<p>^ Amen to that. Think about being comparable in grades and academic ability/achievment to the valedictorian but being just outside the top 10% (screwed up freshman year, perfect grades beyond that).</p>
<p>Same here. Just found out at 12-13% because our school doesn't weight and I got a couple of B's in some hard classes freshman year. That 10% can cut you out of a lot of potential scholarships and there's nothing I can do about it now - school doesn't adjust GPA again until January so no help for admissions. I was so mad when I just found out.</p>
<p>I really need aid - on paper it looks like my parents can contribute far more than they can. They are really, really worried about this financial thing going on affecting my college and told me that they are sad I am graduating at a time like this. That 10% issue may really affect me now. </p>
<p>It may good old Kent State for me. Not what I'd hoped for...</p>
<p>^ I'm still applying to HYP, Ivies, and top schools. My rank didn't change my school list at all (besides multiplying the number of safeties by 2)</p>
<p>yes... being in the top 4% destroys your chances of getting in anywhere man... i would seriously consider comm college now, im not sure of too many colleges that accept students outside of the top 1%.</p>
<p>I'm sorry you have to deal with the negative and sarcastic posts. I don't think your rank is "bad", as long as your coursework is challenging for you and that you write good personal essays. Good luck!</p>
<p>Well, I can understand the post.... Son is in a very rigorous program (24 kids) within a large school. His rank is 42/470. So he's inside the 10%, but it isn't clear if that is good enough for some of these ultra selective schools. He's in all AP/H classes, has strong SAT1 scores (2320) and subject tests, but sometimes it seems like the HYPSM candidates are all in the top 5 students in the class. I guess it comes down to how the schools weigh class rank.</p>
<p>No Zoosermom, but that doesn't seem as well understood at CC as it might be. Recently Dartmouth announced that of those ranked, 40% in their current freshman class were numbers 1 or 2. Even talking about top 10% as a measure is silly accept for impact athletes. The very top schools have reached the insane place of requiring you to be the top of the top academically if you have no hook.</p>