<p>So, just browsing through some threads, I have seen a lot of people stress of over their class rank. " I'm not in the top ten percent so I wont get into Harvard and live in a box" Obviously, that is not an exact quote, but that is the vibe I get from some CC posters. Now, I have to admit, I used to be guilty of the same exact thing as well. I used to stress and wonder how something so little in life, could affect my future so greatly. However, I've come to the conclusion that your class rank does not define you. Why stress out over numbers? Why not just do your best and challenge YOURSELF not your peers? Remember, a number does not define you and I've found great comfort in this thought. </p>
<p>Also, as for the title....I've talked to admissions counselors from top schools (UChicago, Cornell) and their words..."It really doesn't matter. If a student is not in the top ten percent we do not automatically throw out their application. We care more about what the student has done outside of school and how they have challenged themselves in the classroom" And I know what you are thinking....Why do 99.99% of students that get excepted into insert Ivy League University here ranked in the top 10%? "Most of the students we accept just happen to be in the top 10%, we do not accept them because of their rank. We accept them because of who they are, what they've done, and what they hope to contribute" (Holistic Admissions?)</p>
<p>So there it is. The cold hard truth. Is it important to work hard? Absolutely! A good class rank can only help you but it certainly wont equal an automatic failure. Remember, never be discouraged! Hope this helped those people on edge. Trust me, I know the feeling.</p>
Admissions officers want students who’ve challenged themselves…and excelled. Successful applicants took a lot of difficult classes <em>and</em> did well in them. (In other words, take AP classes and aim for A’s, not B’s and C’s.) Class rank gives a general indication of how well you’ve competed relative to your peers, something useful to admissions officers.</p>
<p>Admissions officers at top colleges will virtually never discourage applications from anyone, and they won’t admit to cut-offs of any kind. For every student with lower-than-average credentials who creeps in, however, dozens more are ruthlessly rejected. Those who fall short in one of the key areas (e.g. grades or test scores) almost inevitably have a major hook – developmental admit, athletic recruit, etc. Certainly exceptional students ranked outside the top 10% may sometimes be admitted, and many schools do not rank at all, but to suggest that class rank “doesn’t matter” is definitely taking holistic admissions much too far. Unfortunately, the top colleges are so absurdly selective these days that it’s really best to have as few weaknesses in an application as possible.</p>
<p>Section C7 of the Common Data Sets shows that most top colleges consider class rank “very important” or “important.” </p>
<p>If you’re wondering why, one reason is that admissions officers genuinely want strong students. The other reason is that class rank counts for 6% of a university’s score in the US News rankings, a fairly noticeable percentage. Colleges won’t risk meddling with their top 10% figures, especially colleges like Chicago that have taken to watching their ranking closely. </p>
<p>In any case, the numbers suggest quite a different story. As I recently noted in another thread:
<p>Well obviously someone with extremely low stats that are out of the norm will not be admitted. All I am saying is, do not let one blemish discourage you. And absolutely. There is no reason to get straight C’s in AP Classes. However, all I am saying is that people should not stress out about getting one or two B’s. Also, ranking policies are not always accurate. Probably should have been more specific.</p>
<p>Saying that rank doesn’t matter for college admissions is like saying height doesn’t matter for basketball players. There might be great short backetball players, but those exceptions do not prove a hypothesis.</p>
<p>There’s an element of self-fulfillment here. I’ll bet top schools can fill a class with applicants in top 10% so it’s easy to say they don’t look at it. And I feel that most kids not in top 10% don’t apply to these schools without some really good hook. The exception may be that some small, private HSs with, for instance, 60 in grad class that may have some outside 10% that match or exceed those in top ten compared to school that has 500 in grad class and that may be taken in to consideration.</p>
<p>Class Rank can quite be misleading. I am ranked #3 in my class not because of grades or less APs/HPS, but because I take a zero period that is weighted as only four points. Though, class rank does help to tell if there is grade inflation/deflation in your high school. But, it does matter.</p>