What does "top 10% of graduating class" really mean?

[ParentOfIvyHope]

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Maybe not ranking is helping the college, not the student applicants. A top high school can coyly say “we don’t rank because we have so many wonderful students.” Top colleges can wag their fingers and sternly say “well, we can STILL work out where a student ranks, so you’re not pulling any wool over our eyes by your little trick.” In the meantime, the top colleges can ignore class rank for top high schools because they know the schools so well, and admit who they want. Since the high school doesn’t rank, it doesn’t pollute the top college’s 10% figure. The high school still gets its students admitted to the college. Everyone “wins”.

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<p>I also agree strongly with this. Not ranking private prep or top public high school applicants help colleges to select from a large applicant base without spoiling their image. Colleges certainly know the ranks for top 10% because of Cum laude status and can compute ranking for most of the applicants from same school by looking at the reported GPA.</p>

<p>But colleges do understand that an applicant outside of top 10% at a competitive private or public still preferable than many of the top 10% at no known school. This outside of 10% can range from top 30% at HMSPY to top 70% at T30 schools.</p>

<p>DD was an excellent example of this as she was not Cum Laude at her high school after junior year and didn’t have any hooks(URM, Legacy, sports) but it didn’t affect her acceptances. She got into many colleges where some of the applicants who became Cum Laude (after Junior year) didn’t get in.</p>