<p>i'm currently ranked pretty high at my school, probably around number 2 and possibly even number 1. i'm going to take 6 weighted classes next year, plus journalism which is unweighted. however i just found out that somebody else is going to take 7 weighted classes, which will make him rise above the ranks and make me lowered. should i have taken 7 weighted instead? i really wanted to do journalism, but is it worth compromising my class rank? i can still change... there's still time.</p>
<p>No. it's better to follow your passion. Top colleges really don't care if you are #1, 2, or 3. They would rather see commitment to an interest, than obsession with a ranking. Just be sure to express your passion in an essay.</p>
<p>journalism is't really a passion though, just something i've been kinda interested in for a while</p>
<p>How do you know the other student will get straight A's while taking 7 weighted courses? Are the grades at your school really inflated?</p>
<p>because he's never gotten anything but a's before in his life.</p>
<p>^lol=)</p>
<p>i would take journalism if that is what interests you. i've seen valedictorians get rejected from all 8 ivys b/c all they ever did was sit at home and study for ap classes.</p>
<p>i actually made a similar choice last year. #1 in our class was taking newspaper, and i also wanted to take it. if i had taken another ap instead, i might have ended up as the new #1. but newspaper was a nice relief after 6 aps a day, and when it comes down to it, there is little to no difference between 1 and 2...especially at a school like yours where it seems that taking a minimum of 4 aps a year is the norm. i'll admit i was quite torn over the issue for a while last year...and it's especially hard if you and that person are really competitive with each other.</p>
<p>but now instead of valedictorian status, i have found a subject i'm truly passionate about, something i'm not just convincing myself i enjoy for the "ap" label. i will be editor of the newspaper this coming year, which works as a leadership position, and i've learned a lot about responsibility and hard work. i also met a lot of different kids who i otherwise might not have. plus i got to talk to a lot of school administrators last year for my articles, so now they know me. these ppl often have a say in who receives useful scholarships from their school, so i'd say that was helpful. the class might also give you an essay-worthy experience, especially if you find something interesting while working on a story.</p>
<p>i've also discovered a potential major for me in college. i never thought about going into journalism/communications before, it was always just straight out being focused completely on science subjects for me, but now i have a new possibility to consider. </p>
<p>taking journalism will portray you as a more well-rounded individual, in my opinion at least. more so than gorging on a 7th ap class, haha. </p>
<p>you could also ultimately try to expand beyond the class and see if you could submit a piece for your local city or statewide paper. apparently getting work published in such publications looks good for college too.</p>
<p>but it's totally up to you. how much does being first really matter to you, and what are you willing to give up for it?</p>
<p>I started taking high school classes in 6th grade so i have tons and tons of extra credits that arent weighted. i have 28 credits more than anyone else in my class. so each semester my rank falls lower and lower. i started out 15th at the beginning of junior year. and ended the year at 39th
I had straight As with 3 APs 1 honors and 2 normal classes(orchestra and spanish 3) so even though I have better grades than other people. my weighted GPA doesnt raise nearly as much as people with less credits. so people who didnt get straight As but had the same APs and honors as me rose past me in clas rank.
its really annoying. and i think my counselor will have to talk about this in her part of the application.
im kinda nervous about that.</p>
<p>^wow that really really sucks. i'd be so mad. it's annoying how you get penalized for challenging yourself. </p>
<p>i guess i can kind of relate...i'm stuck taking the easiest senior english class this year b/c it's weighted while a 2nd year college course that i would rather do is not, and it would hurt my rank.</p>
<p>zfox, i feel for you. thats why the whole class ranking system is stupid.</p>