Unweighted Class Rank

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello again!</p>

<p>I just have a quick question about class rank. I am a junior, and my current rank is 23/461, putting me just within the top 5%. While researching top schools I found that many put out stats claiming that "X%" of the incoming freshman were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in their graduating class. This has made me a little worried about my applications for next year. As my high school's rankings are unweighted, there are about 20 students with 4.0s who share the number one spot. Many of these students have taken no honors or AP classes and owe their grades to the ease of their course load. Unfortunately, this pushes more rigorous student, such as myself, down in the rankings. Will this reflect negatively on my applications? Or is it simply something I should have my counselor explain in her recommendation? My GPA is 3.971 at the moment. Thanks for the help!</p>

2

<p>I don’t know much about class rank but I do know that 5% is extremely good! Class rank will probably not be the deciding factor at the colleges you apply to. It all depends on the schools you apply to.</p>

<p>Good luck with everything!</p>

3

<p>Class rank is just one puzzle piece- colleges will also take into account GPA and rigor of schedule, among other things. Your high school will send a profile along with your transcript information about your school, including an explanation of rank calculation. You can always ask your counselor how this situation is usually addressed by your school, and if he/she will include an explanation in their recommendation.</p>