<p>Does being valedictorian count for much? So far, the valedictorians haven't done as well in college admissions as the rest of the high-achieving senior class.</p>
<p>Since so many schools stopped ranking their students and since weighting schemes vary so greatly between high schools, I think being val has lost some of its cache. </p>
<p>When you think about it, unless students all have the exact same courses with the exact same teachers, ranking is just kind of silly. </p>
<p>That said, I think students with less than a 4.0 that are first in their class stand out simply because it points to a grading system that doesn’t just hand out As for fulfilling some kind of rubric. </p>
<p>Honestly, I’m somewhat suspicious of valedictorians. I tend to like the kids who get so absorbed in something other than classwork that they blow off the occasional assignment. The kid who will be our local public school’s Val this year, who I’ve known since he was seven… I don’t think the kid has ever read a book that wasn’t required for school. He’s read plenty cliff notes and Wikipedia articles, but just pursuing an interest out of sheer wonder? Highly doubtful. I also know that he has never gone beyond the meager curriculum offered through the school. All this will hurt him come application time. </p>
<p>One may know their approximate rank, but Valedictorians would not be named until near the end of senior year. It is not known by the time of college application.</p>
<p>The top LACs and National Universities collectively deny thousands of valedictorians annually. This said, it IS a distinction but – for the very most selective (perhaps) twenty institutions – it must be complemented by a good deal more.</p>
<p>I don’t understand your reasoning. Past Vals at your school haven’t done “well” in your estimation. So you think you should avoid being the Val because of some sort of curse? Bad juju?</p>