Class Rank Unimportant?

How important IS class rank for college admissions? Students (and parents) at very competitive high schools -- the kind that require a 3.89 GPA to be in the top 10 percent -- question the usefulness of class rank as a good measure of ability.

Many high schools, such as Eden Prarie High School in Minnesota, are considering discontinuing class rankings, if they haven't done so already. But does discarding class rankings really remove the pressure? Does it matter if you attend a competitive high school? How big a factor does the "quality" of a high school play in the admissions game?

Rank Removal
Removing rankings can remove the obvious knowledge of who is first, but it won't change the fact that someone IS first, and if you are a straight-A student, it's likely that you will continue to put yourself under all sorts of pressure to do as well as you can, perhaps even more so because not knowing could drive you crazy (though it shouldn't). Of course, some competition can be helpful in encouraging you to do your best. The trick is to channel the stress in productive ways. That is, focus on getting as good a grade as you can get in your high school.

And class rank may be less important than you think. There are more valedictorians than there are spots in top ivy league schools. But this doesn't mean admissions officers ignore class rank completely -- getting into the top 10 percent of your class is helpful, but only if that is backed up by good grades and other factors.

High School Quality

This brings us to your high school. Do admissions officers consider your high school's quality? How? Do they give more points to applicants who have a 3.6 GPA from a "competitive" high school, or a 4.0 student from a less competitive school?

Many admissions officers, surprisingly, don't consider high school quality at all. But those colleges that do do so by region, assigning a staff member to a particular geographical area who then knows all about the high schools in that area. According to an article by Dean Flagel, these officers determine how competitive a high school is by looking at the courses, what percentage of a graduating class goes on to college, and even to which colleges they've gone. These same admissions officers are often the ones who will read your application, so they will read it in context, knowing all about your school.

Does going to a more or less competitive school help your chances of getting in to the college of your choice? Again, according to Dean Flagel, it depends! Your high school's "weight" varies depending on the admissions officer, on the year you're applying, and on the school to which you're applying. You have little control over how a specific admissions officer from a specific college will view your high school. 

Our advice? Worry about what you can control -- getting good grades, choosing challenging courses, writing a great essay and turning in fantastic application materials. Doesn't that sound like enough stress?

Article courtesy of FastWeb.com: http://www.admissions.com/news/class-rank-unimportant