Not Being in the Top 10% of Your Class

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Greetings. I am hoping that I am posting this thread in the correct section. I apologize if this is not the right forum to ask this question.

I am currently a rising junior, and I have been a lurker on College Confidential for almost two years now. What I’ve definitely noticed on this website and have wanted to bring up is that pretty much every single person is in the top 10% of their class.

However, I am only in the top 20% or so in my class (my unweighted GPA is high, no worries).

How is this going to affect me when I’m applying to more prestigious schools (both Ivies and non-Ivies)? I actually have several hooks. I am black, Hispanic, low income, and a first generation student. I know test scores aren’t everything, but I believe mine won’t be a problem. I have done well on the PSAT in the past and am taking SAT classes this summer. And even though my class rank is horrible, I challenge myself with taking AP classes and perform well.

I know that I still have two more years of high school, but this has been a question that has seriously been bugging me. Do I HAVE to be in the top 10% to have a legitimate chance at attending a prestigious school? I am genuinely curious because it seems every single Ivy-bound student on here is in the top 10%. I have noticed that even URMs with lower SAT scores and class ranks within the top 10% have been admitted to the Ivies.

Is having a high class rank really that important? Should I just not bother applying to more prestigious schools if I am not in the top 10% of my class? I hope I do not sound annoying, but this has seriously been troubling me. Thank you to anyone who has taken their time to read this!

2

I’m not sure if it’s an unwritten rule among admissions officers that you must be in the top 10% for “prestigious schools”, but this website does have a very skewed view of applicants. I think if the rest of your application is stellar, you won’t be rejected for your class rank alone, especially if you come from a very competitive high school (and colleges will know how competitive your schools is based off your counselor’s school report that is sent with your application).

I looked up the common data set for Harvard (not sure which “prestigious schools” you’re specifically targeting), and section C7 says that class rank is “not considered” in terms of admissions. However, 95% of incoming freshman to Harvard were in the top 10% of their class and that number was 87% for Cornell. Also remember that many high schools do not rank or stopping the use of their ranking system, so using class rank to determine admission might also be on the decline.

You can also check your school’s naviance if they provide one. It can show you how many people applied to school x and gives you the average GPA/test scores. You can also ask your guidance counselor what they think of your rank and if past kids from your school with similar stats have gotten into the schools you are targeting.

Definitely still apply to the reach schools that you like, but have a balance of safeties and matches as well. Good luck!

sources:
http://oir.harvard.edu/common-data-set
http://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/common-data-set