<p>Not sure if this is the right forum category for this but here goes. Basically I go to a small school (My graduating class is 80, so top ten is 8). I'll have no trouble being in the top ten because I'm familiar with all of our high flyers, and I happen to know that only 1 girl other than me has made straight A's thus far. The problem is that I am continuing to take Newspaper every year, because as a junior, I've been in it since I started high school and its a fun EC that I'm dedicated to (And I'll get to be Editor this year, and my senior year). </p>
<p>Theres no way I'm going to quit now because I enjoy it and it will look good when I apply to college, but its on a 4 point scale, and because my GPA is 4.7, this is dragging it down. Our class rank is calculated on a weighted (5 point) scale, so even if I continue to make all A's, its possible that my GPA will drop a bit, possibly below Valedictorian or even Salutatorian (this is because that other girl is only taking the bare minimum of classes, the ones she needs credit for, and the guy whose in 3rd is doing the same, though he's made a C).</p>
<p>I'm trying to figure out what I can do so that I don't lose a spot for being dedicated to an extra class. My Chemistry teacher was a grade whore when she was in high school, and she said that her senior year, she and two others were tied for 1st, so the school administered a PSAT to them, and they were ranked according to their score. While this is a tad unorthodox, the SAT/PSAT is a trusted test and I think that perhaps if I talked to my dean and expressed my concerns, than she may agree to look at our GPAs on a 4 point scale, and administer some form of tie breaking test to determine our rank.</p>
<p>Do you guys have any opinions? Any of you been in a situation similar to this? Thanks!</p>
<p>College course wouldn’t work because our school is attached to the Houston Community College and we are offered classes there for free… but they’re on a 4 point scale. That’s not to say I’ll avoid those, because that’s our source for upper level math and science classes. Just, those won’t bring my GPA up.</p>
<p>The AP plan could work… I actually recently found out that its very easy to get an AP class instated at my school, if I just present the case to a teacher who would be capable of teaching it. Because its too late to do that THIS year, I could do that for my senior year if I can think of a few classes to have set up… Stats is a DEFINITE possibility because this new math teacher at our school is a former AP Stats teacher, and I actually wanted to take that in the first place…</p>
<p>Any other ideas? Rule out history and foreign languages, and I’m already taking the two Englishes. I’m taking Bio and Physics, but Calculus might be doable. Also, I could maybe find someone for Economics. That’s all that comes to mind. What do you think?</p>
<p>@advanced Lawlz: What do you mean something minor?</p>
<p>And in response to the rest of you guys, its just for personal accomplishment. If you guys were in my position you’d probably feel the same way… the thing is the girl who is ranked ahead of me is very unintelligent, and it irks me that she is going to get recognized as the person with the “best GPA” when her only reason for getting it is taking the bare minimum of classes and no-life’ing in them.</p>
<p>It would be understandable though if she beat me because I could at least find solace in the fact that she has no extracurriculars and very few friends lol. The bigger problem is that the 3rd guy, who I might end up being behind, is unbelievably ignorant and obnoxious and immature, and he may end up ahead of me for the same reason.</p>
<p>I know this all sounds stupid and shallow, but I’m just going to be upset if these people end up ranked higher than me, thats all.</p>
<p>Oh and as for environmental science and psychology, probably not. I’m already taking psychology at the college, and I think I might get bored by ES. I want to bring up my GPA but I still want to pursue a class I’m interested in. :P</p>
<p>I think I’ll look into Chem, Econ, Calculus, Physics C, and Stats… Does anybody have any non-AP class suggestions?</p>
<p>I’m not surprised, and I sympathize with anyone else who has this problem. In a large graduating class I would have only pushed myself to be in the top 10, but when I know all of my classmates pretty well, it gets more competitive because I know who is a respectable scholar and who is just a grade whore… And if I can find a way to continue taking extra classes and continue to challenge myself and still get my ranking reflected fairly, WITHOUT stooping to her level, then I’d be satisfied…</p>
<p>even so you’d be one of the top five kids in your grade. thats already ridiculously impressive, imo. i mean you know you took more rigorous classes than her, probably achieved higher marks as well, isn’t that satisfaction enough?</p>
<p>^ What smilemyonly said. If you know you’re better than those kids, then what does it matter that they’re ranked higher than you? Also, if they’re as lazy/unintelligent/immature as you say they are, surely everyone else will also know that you’re the “true” valedictorian.</p>
<p>Haha nah, I’d be proud of myself and I’m pretty sure i’m more prepared for college than her. I just basically want to know if there’s a feasible way to keep my overachieving from bringing down my grade. Just on principle, I’m upset that it’s currently going down, really. I’m not going to jump through hoops to turn a rank 2 or 3 into 1… I jus thought a CC member might have been in this position and known an easy fix.</p>
<p>Oh and just a quick anecdote that might communicate to you what I don’t like about them. That one guy that I said is ranked third? He never did ANY of the reading for ap world history. He just got his friend to lend him his notes, and tell him what was on the test (his friend had class first) and he would just study his friends notes before the test, and it got him and A in the class. One time he forgot to get notes and study, so he punched himself in the nose to give himself a nose bleed, just so he could put off taking the test till later.</p>
<p>The prudent and mature approach would be to recognize the benefit to yourself of taking the courseload that you have and the accomplishments you personally gained. In addition, your situation will yield you a much better opportunity in the admissions process in college, for the adcoms do not look at 1,2,or 3 “place” but rather at the rigor of your courseload. You are the true winner here, do not waste your energy on competing with people for 1st or 2nd place that are not even at your academic caliber.</p>
yup, typical CC behavior. lots of people deserve lots of things, but they just dont get it. life just isnt fair. i mean i think i deserve a cookie right now, but im not gonna go whining about it. anyway if it makes you feel any better you’re val in my book! :p</p>
<p>Hey, if someone is ranked ahead of you…that typically means they’re more intelligent. No wonder you’re ranked lower if you can’t understand something that elementary. Maybe your school made a mistake, and you were in the top fifty?</p>
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<p>And I guess this is how karma kicks your butt lol. Maybe if you keep talking like this, you’ll slide to <em>gasp</em>top eleven</p>
<p>I’m in the same position. I have a big graduating class (like 500) and I’m 5th, mostly because I have high school credit courses from middle school+I take orchestra every year+I’m taking a college course which, like you, doesn’t help my GPA. So all these 4s are bringing down my 5s - even though I have more courses and a harder schedule, I’m not going to be val. </p>
<p>I’ve decided not to care. Hey, I don’t have to give a speech, eh? It’s only a number.</p>
<p>My friend’s school does it like this: Your GPA is rated, every class the same. Then, for every weighted course, a small number is added (I forget the exact number, like .04, calculated so that over the course of 4 years if you got one B in a weighted course and As in normal, you’d have about the same as straight As in normal courses). So for her school, people with more weighted credits ‘win’, but people with lots of normal classes don’t ‘lose’.</p>
<p>Maybe with some careful convincing you could get them to do that?</p>
<p>Frezenow, that’s an interesting proposition, thank you! I’m sure there are a lot of common possibilities out there similar to that… unfortunately most people are just lecturing me about how little Val Sal 3rd count. lol. I already know those ranks don’t matter, our first student to get into harvard was 6 out of 8 of the top ten. Honestly I won’t be heartbroken or anything if those 2 do knock me down to third, I just would RATHER find a way to have our GPA’s calculated less arbitrarily.</p>
<p>JAJdude: I can’t tell if you’re post is a joke… rank means nothing in terms of how intelligent you are… in fact, the high school classes at my school do very little to distinguish us to the height of our abilities. The high school classes (the ones on a 5 point scale, assuming youre in preap and ap) are relatively easy to get an A in. Its when you start taking advantage of the harder classes at the attached college like Calculus 1-3 and the advanced sciences that you start to get lower A’s and drift into B territory, even IF youre very intelligent.</p>
<p>This girl takes none of those though… She breezes through the high school classes and then takes literally NO courses above those that are required to graduate (government, psychology, etc). Does she really sound more intelligent to you?</p>
<p>And as for karma, I’m not worried. the guy in third is, in short, a really really bad person… I suppose the girl is nice but I wasn’t just speaking in scorn when I said she has no friends… She seriously HAS NO FRIENDS, because she spends all of her time at school doing homework, and never just stops to make conversation with people… I’m sorry if telling you pure facts is bad for my karma.</p>
<p>Hey, is it possible for you to audit newspaper through your school? That way, you could still receive a grade for the class and it will appear on your transcript BUT will not be weighted in your GPA.</p>
lol. The bigger problem is that the 3rd guy, who I might end up being behind, is unbelievably ignorant and obnoxious and immature, and he may end up ahead of me for the same reason.</p>