<p>How much does rank really matter for top schools/ivy leagues, especially when it is based solely on unweighted GPA's? Consider my situation.
I started out poorly my freshman year, with no intention in the slightest to attend any college better than a public school in my state. Thus, I ended the year with only a 3.73 UW GPA. It wasn't that I was not capable; I just didn't try. Sophomore year rolls along, and I start to dream big. I got the idea of attending an Ivy League school, Dartmouth in particular. So I kick it in gear and attain a 4.0 UW GPA the entire year, while being the only sophomore in an AP class (APUSH) and self-studying two more (Environmental Science and Human Geography). I scored all 5's. I also took Precalculus concurrently with Algebra II to get ahead in math. My UW GPA is now 3.87, which I believe to be pretty good. However, I am only in the top 15 or 16 % of my class. I signed up for the hardest classes possible for my junior year, including 4 AP's and 1 Honors, plus Spanish 3. I believe I can again achieve a year-long 4.0 GPA; however, that only brings my UW GPA up to about a 3.9. I do not believe I can increase my rank status by 6% by the time I apply to colleges. Do I have any chance at an Ivy League or top school if I'm not in the top 10%? I know my counselor will check off that I took the most rigorous schedule possible and I will have her explain in her recommendation why I am not in the top 10% (because my school doesn't weight). If my school weighted our GPA's, I know I would be in the top 5% at the lowest. Please help. I do not believe this is fair for me.</p>
<p>It sounds like you attend an average high school. Unfortunately, top colleges will expect you to take the hardest classes and still get top grades. What’s not fair. When a school takes 11% of applicants (and falling) there’s not a large margin for understanding. Fewer than 5% of a class will not have been in the top 10%. They will be impact athletes, URMs from competitive schools and wealthy legacies.</p>
<p>There are many, many good schools that are not ivies.</p>
<p>The part that I don’t see fair is that my school doesn’t weight GPA’s, so it’s been hard to increase my rank after my poor freshman year. I guess there’s not much I can do but continue to get straight A’s and hope that somehow my rank gets into the top 10%. I am an URM (hispanic), if that helps. It’s just so hard to increase your rank when your school doesn’t weight GPA’s.</p>
<p>So I guess my question is, do I still have a chance at top schools if I’m not in the top 10% of my class, even though my stats are great? Will colleges take into account the fact that my school doesn’t weight GPA’s and I got off to a bad start, resulting in a relatively low rank? Thanks.</p>
<p>I hate to do it but… bump</p>
<p>There are some schools, such as the UCs and I think Stanford (If I remember correctly from when I applied) that don’t look at freshman year grades.</p>
<p>puggly, ask your counselor to show you a copy of your high school’s profile. This is a description of your high school that will be included with your transcript and (if appropriate) counselor recommendation. The profile should include an explanation of the school’s grading policy, including weighting policy. Make sure that the profile states that there is no weighting of courses, that no weighted GPA is calculated, and that rank is based on unweighted GPA.</p>
<p>As a URM you stand a better chance of getting into a college where few are outside the top 10%. If for example you are a low income URM in a school made up of primarily affluent ORMs, being outside the top 10% would make top schools more plausible.</p>