i’m a sophomore and though i’ve maintained all a’s and will likely continue to do so, i can’t possibly be valedictorian because i took a 4-point elective (dance) freshman yr while others (who i know also have all a’s) took the only 5-point elective (art). this is frustrating, and barring all of them get a b in a 5-point class, i have no hope of being valedictorian. i guess the answer to my own question would be to have outstanding ECs and test scores, but valedictorian would just be the icing on the cake. oh well 
Don’t worry, it won’t mean anything!
You wouldn’t have it in time for college applications, anyway, so who cares?
Last year at my school, the seniors headed to the top schools (BU, UCs, Yale) were not valedictorian.
being valedictorian doesnt mean anything to anyone or anything
At least you aren’t forced to give a speech if you dont want to.
Unless there is a scholarship you would be eligible for, it doesn’t make any difference.
As you just pointed out, the ranking system for determining this is extremely stupid and colleges know this. They don’t care nearly as much about it as you think they do. Many high schools don’t rank anymore anyhow. Not worth worrying about, just focus on getting the experience you want in high school and let the other kids chase after a title that means something for about 3 hours.
Oh boy. I was Val 30 years ago. It meant nothing at all. Just a photo op. No one has ever asked or cared since!
Nowadays with all the weighting and APs, I’m not sure the majority of schools even pick “#1” anymore as Val. Don’t worry a BIT about it, ok?
This is why many schools no longer rank. There is just too little difference between those students at the top. Ranking can also promote strategizing that doesn’t encourage students to take classes of genuine interest. Admissions officers know this.
A significant percentages of high schools no longer provide class rank, a direct result of students taking classes only to maximize class rank. When you start looking at the common data set for colleges you are interested in, you can see what percentage of schools do report rank. Valedictorian has never been a golden ticket, and now even less so since so many top high schools don’t even identify valedictorians! It is a great accomplishment, but colleges also want to see students who balance rigorous schedules with classes of interest rather than just chasing the max number of AP classes.
Being in the top percentage of your class is important, but it’s seldom crucial if you are #1 or #2 or #5. Top 10% is what most top schools look for, I’ve seen some scholarships that want top 5%. But even being outside the top 10% doesn’t lock you out of getting into very good schools.
Can I just say that weighting art more than dance is a really dumb school policy. Rant over.
Seriously, nobody will care if you’re #1 or not. And many universities and colleges will recalculate your GPA according to their own norms. So take the courses that interest and challenge you and try not to worry about comparative ranking.
As others have stated, Valedictorian literally means nothing. There are plenty of 2400 SAT Valedictorians that get rejected from Harvard and other top colleges. It’s a much better option to choose classes that you have an interest in, rather than classes to pile up on your GPA.
Only your mommy and daddy beside yourself would care at this point of time.