<p>I have a question.... I didn't make top 10 at my school, but I just made top 10%. I don't even know if top 10 is a country-wide thing or not, but I was wondering if that will matter much to colleges. I'm ranked 12/130... </p>
<p>In the end, is top 10% more important than top 10?</p>
<p>Most people would agree that being 12/130 is better than being 10/76. Purely in terms of comparison, percentages are much more accurate at judging a student's performance. Since class size varies it's hard to assign a stable value to 'top 10' but a percentage is almost a good indicator.</p>
<p>Of course the ideal position is that you're valedictorian and thus qualify for both, but bar that I think you're in a good position as you are right now.</p>
<p>I think "top 10" is more psychological than anything. It's the percentiles that really matter.</p>
<p>would you say 1/60ish is better than say 3/180ish??</p>
<p>I would say that in a class of 100, they are the same. In a class of less than 100, top 10% is better. In a class of more than 100, top 10 is better.</p>
<p>^yes because 3/180 is only 99th percentile, while 1/60 is 100th percentile</p>
<p>My class has 57 students (public, non-competitive). Does that mean I'm screwed for Ivies if I don't make valedictorian, since I could very possibly be #2 or #3 by GPA? If I was #3, I would be top 10%, but there were still two people better than me in grades at a non-competitive school.</p>