<p>I attend a school where there are approximately 15-17 valedictorians every year. We are on the 4.0 grading scale that does not weight. Beginning of Junior year, there were about 30 of us that had 4.0s. But going into senior year, I think there are only about 20-23 left out of a class of 183 students. I am one of those kids. My rank is 1/183, and 20 others kids have the same rank as I do. </p>
<p>I almost wish we had a different way of deciding valedictorians because anything over a 90 is considered 4.0. So that's why we have a million of them. But I would say mine would be 96 or 97.</p>
<p>When I apply to colleges, am I considered #1 even though 20 other kids in my grade have 4.0s? Am I still in the top 1% because of my rank? </p>
<p>It depends on how your school calculates rankings. Some high schools don’t report rankings at all for this very reason -there are other reasons, but this is a major one. If your school does rank logic would dictate that if you’re valedictorian then you are ranked 1st regardless of how many people share that rank. It really sucks for the guy with one B though who is automatically ranked 21st. Talk to your counselor to find out your high school’s policy. </p>
<p>If your school reports things like the break point for Top 10%, Top 25%, Top 50%, etc, then it will be reporting the Top 10% number as 4.0 as well, so it will be obvious there are numerous kids with a rank of #1. Not only that, but you can bet there are 21 kids who are afraid to take a chance on any class they could get a B in, and that’s not going to help the rigor factor, which is more important than class rank. Yet one more reason schools should not rank.</p>
<p>You’re overthinking this. If you have a 4.0 and an appropriately rigorous transcript, that’s all that matters. Do you honestly think that someone else’s 4.0 with a cream puff schedule, next to yours, won’t be able to be completely noticeable? You’re fine. Don’ t worry about the competition or how your school choose to sort/rank students. Valedictorian is a title after colleges admit students anyway</p>
<p>Your GC will send a sheet to the college with school information. Just ask how your school info is presented. Now are you going to tell us the Val’s at your school have trouble getting into college? What is the big deal? </p>
<p>Class rank is relevant if you have a relatively low GPA but you’re in the top 10 or something. It indicates that your school has tougher grading. A 4.0 UW implies that you got an A in everything possible, so this isn’t an issue. Assuming you have a rigorous schedule, the adcom will see that you are a top-notch student. The # of val’s at your school doesn’t matter - the strength of schedule is far more important.</p>
<p>Ha. The enormous highschool with 700 grads where used to live had 50 valedictiorians. Most of the class was in the upper 10% of the class. My kids, if they had gone there, would have been rock bottom, and would not get into the flagship U as the unwritten rule is that one has to be in the upper half. It hurt a number of kids who did not make that cut. Only about 10-20% were in the lower half. </p>
<p>cptofthehouse, I think the way it works does suck! I know many kids with 4.0s who do as minimal as possible and don’t take harder classes. One of my friends got a B this year in our insanely hard precalculus class and now she is ranked 33! </p>
<p>Our school doesn’t rank, but plenty of kids think a non-rigorous 4.0 will get them places. It doesn’t. Virtually any kid who got into a top school had a full slate of core APs and a high GPA, but not necessarily a 4.0. In all my on-campus visits with D, not once did any admissions director or officer mention class rank, but they all mentioned rigor, much to the shock of many in the audience.</p>