<p>We received my D's new transcript yesterday with her new class rank(different from the one she sent in oct/dec) she was ranked 94% of her class and now she is 92%( because some students took duel enrollment night classes to boost their gpa and rank) do you think this is going to look bad even if her gpa got higher? basically the rank is worse but the gpa is better!!! i don't know what to think? what do you guys think?</p>
<p>it looks worse because other students took the challenge and your daughter didn't. although her GPA became better.</p>
<p>In Texas we call this the rank game. And it is a very, very big game in Texas (if you are in the top 10% of your class, you are guareenteed admission into any "State" University and if you are not in the top 10% your chance of getting into one are slim)</p>
<p>The thing with rank is that is awards rigor and performance. (At least in our school) You can't rank a student who takes middle of the road classes and earns straight A's the same as a student that takes AP and Dual Credit and earns straight A's. As a parent you have to know the system. I know my daughter's rank system and if you don't think I (and many other parents are ther school) do not push it to its limits you have your head in the sand. The kids know the rules. The GCs drill it in every visit, it is published all over the place. It is shocking for some parents to not understand why their straight A student who is taking basic algebra is not in the top 10%. </p>
<p>With that said as a parent you can't expect information to be spoon fed to you. You have to always assume that some other student out there will do everything in the limits to out perform, out last and out play the rank game.</p>
<p>Actually she did challenge herself the previous year with college classes during summer but this year she is Battalion Commander of her ROTC + Senior class President+ Secretary of NHSS+ journalism Classes 3pm to 6pm 3 times a week and she is currently taking Chinese1 and Spanish3 via virtual school(online)!! she can't be busier!!! and she can't kill herself neither!! the others students are not that involved in school activities.. but you are certainly right the Adcom are going to see that she did not challenge herself enough.. when i think she did everything possible ! some students don't even care what they were studying and were not even interested in the subject they took just they needed to boost that GPA!! there is an unfair game in the college process!</p>
<p>Dual enrollment is a joke in my daughter's high school. Kids take the most basic of community college classes and it counts the same as a difficult AP class. I'd hardly call it stepping up to a challenge. They take things like Introduction to Public Speaking. Does anyone think that should be worth the same weight as AP Chemistry?</p>
<p>LaVie: totally depends on schools applied to and if they care about rank....for RD, it's more about" molding the class"....a change in rank like your D's will probably not be the "Tip" factor in April......</p>
<p>As long as she's still in the top 10%, I don't think it is crucial.</p>
<p>she is still in the top 10%, hopefully!!! she was 7/14 now she is 10/14!! thank you for your advices!! I love your nickname " consolation"!</p>
<p>Her rank could be the least of her worries. She alot of EC's but there is no clearly defined "passion." Every time our daughter wants to join this or that we always ask WHY? Is it because it "looks" good or is it because you are truly passionate about it? Like they say it is better to be good at one thing then be ok at alot of things. For our family the main focus is on Academics. Then for our daughter, music. The majority of her EC's surround her two passions....music and medicine. She volunteers at the hospital 10 hours a week, her leadership positions are in the music programs, etc. So make sure your daughter does not overschedule, etc so that she shows a focus.</p>
<p>As far as the GPA/rank part of the application goes, it probably looks worse because colleges probably look at the rank more than they do at GPA, since every school is different. However, if it is clear that your daughter is spending her time on something else that also challenges her, then that could make up for it, I think.</p>
<p>collegeshopping, there are zillions and zillions of students whose official "passions" are music and medicine. Probably 90% of the ORM kids who post to CC, for example.</p>
<p>There aren't many who are </p>
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Battalion Commander of her ROTC + Senior class President+ Secretary of NHSS+ journalism Classes 3pm to 6pm 3 times a week and she is currently taking Chinese1 and Spanish3 via virtual school(online)
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</p>
<p>This kid has serious leadership creds, plus she is pursuing languages and journalism outside the standard curriculum: she sounds like an interesting, highly energetic kid who would really contribute to campus life to me! OP, don't worry about your kid's ECs one bit.</p>