What's the REAL effect of rank?

<p>How much does H really take class rank (percentile, really) into consideration when processing apps? What is the difference between a valedictorian and someone just ranked in the top 5-10%?</p>

<p>I've never been quite clear on that, myself. I would expect, though, that it depends on the school and the size of the graduating class.</p>

<p>Rank is the most important part of your app. The seconday school record is the most important part of your app accoring to most colleges in general and all top schools. The most important part of the secondary school record is the rank. It takes into account the difficulty of your school. You might not get a 4.0, but with a great rank, you are one of the best people at your school. As much as I hate it, rank is the most important thing in an app. There isnt really a diff between val and top 5% but there is between top 5% and to 10%. If your school doesnt rank then it doesnt matter. It sucks, because i have a rising gpa trend. I was really bad, but now im at the top of my class. Even so, my rank is trashed (well not really 34/360, but that is bad for the ivy league (and other top schools) oh well. I hope they can see past it for me, but my other stats arent phenomenal-so i really doubt i have a good shot at admisssion.</p>

<p>In short rank is important.</p>

<p>Yeah, same here. I'm 18 out of 330 in a pretty competitive public HS (that's just barely under 5%, btw), but I have a rising trend (decent 9th grade grades, great in 10th, and then pretty good in 11th, but I took many more APs than the rest of my class which hurt me), I suppose. My application, though, focused on my passion for research and plans to be an astrophysicist, and that's corroborated by my research experience in HS (which has most recently culminated in a national ranking at Siemens Westinghouse), and plus my SATs are top of my grade (2320), so I figured maybe things like this could help make up for my relatively low rank...</p>

<p>Eh my school does not rank and refuses to even give them any sort of range. Even if an Admissions officer calls and ask they will not give any sort of hint. That's what happens when you go to a stubborn 140 year old prep school... haha.</p>

<p>My school will only give decile rankings; I'm in the second. </p>

<p>I write the papers and take the tests, but I don't do much homework unless the teacher collects it. I'm not sure; it's like I've had senioritis my entire life! Anyway, my school rank is pretty messed up anyway. We only graduate thirty to forty kids a year, and the weighted GPAs are calculated poorly (for example, honors algebra II and AP Stats last year were given the same weight, even though I was three math classes ahead of them).</p>

<p>Adam, I didn't know about your rank. That could have been a big factor in your admission decision.</p>

<p>The high school I went to for freshman and soph year did not calculate GPA until junior year, so I have no GPA or rank for those years.
Moreover, the high school I currently attend does not rank at all, so... I've never been ranked and only had a GPA for less than a year and a half of courses when I applied.</p>

<p>I still got in.
So it obviously doesn't matter if you don't have these things.</p>

<p>My rank is like 30/200 @ a medical magnet school, and I have like a 95+ GPA... :-&lt;/p>

<p>My school tells colleges it doesn't rank us, but secretly it does for its own evil purposes.</p>

<p>^ lol</p>

<p>My school only has percentage rankings too. They did away with valedictorians and saludictorians last year as well as the rankings bc supposedly these factors discourage the students with lower rankings want to continue their education ..... haha</p>

<p>Candlize did you get in you had great stats?</p>

<p>Yeah candlize got in (sorry to speak for you).</p>