<p>Well this is a topic that I find interesting. It was especially concerning for my dd who transfered from an “elite private” to a mid-range public her senior year. She was top (probably) 20% at the private (which did not rank) in a class of approx 100. For reference, the class of 2010 had at least 8 admits to Stanford along with mulitiple ivys and top LACs. 100% goes on to 4 year universities with the very bottom of the class at lower UCs (maybe some Cal-States) and lower ranked LACs (top 100). After transferring her grades from the private school (no weighted “honors” courses, limited access to APs, A- grades are 3.8, not 4.0 as in the public school system), to the public, she was in the 3rd decile at a school that reported rank. Her review of the common data set indicated her dream LAC (top 10) essentially did not admit any students from the 3rd decile. </p>
<p>Her first term grades in 5 APs, 1 honors, and 1 non-weighted class were all A’s. Her first term transcript gave her a rank of around 12/500 for that term. I think it is clear that had she attended the public school from freshman year, she likely would have received most if not all As in honors classes, weighting her GPA and upping her class rank. However, with the school switch, she essentially got penalized for having harder classes with harder grading systems and no weighting for 3 years. Let’s just say she was very concerned about this aspect of her application. </p>
<p>However, it does all end well for her. She was accepted to the top 10 LAC ED. She believes she might not have been accepted if she had stayed at the elite private as she used her experience switching schools to highlight her maturity, resiliancy, and adaptability (all good things to have when transitioning to college).</p>
<p>Bottom line is I don’t think the “top 10%” classifications really matter much at all. It’s impossible to compare students based on that criteria, especially when they may have attended schools that employ vastly different methodologies and student bodies.</p>