Why Does Class Rank Matter?
BY GIANNA RODRIGUEZ-Staff Writer
Whether you are a junior, sophomore, or freshman, you’ve heard it all before.
Throughout all four years of high school, the administration has constantly been reminding us about how important it is to keep your grades up because colleges are watching.
At this point in the school year it may sound like a broken record, but did your teachers ever mention the other factors that colleges consider during your application process?
Not only are colleges looking at your grades and school performance to see if you really are the best choice for their school, colleges are also looking at your class rank.
You might be under the impression that if you have good grades with a high grade point average, GPA, that you are secured a place in your dream school.
That’s not true at all.
Do you know what your current class rank is? Do you even know what class ranking is? Were you even aware there was such a thing of class ranking?
First things first, what is class ranking? By definition, class ranking is a measure of how a student’s academic performance compares to that of other students in their graduating class. Class rank is measured in percent form and is calculated using your grade point average.
For example, say you have a class of 800 students, and your GPA is higher than 750 of them, then your class rank would be 50.
Now, let’s see how class ranking is interrelated to your application process for college.
Junior year is the year that will impact you the most, as many colleges and universities choose that time to view your transcripts. Meaning they look at your grades, the courses you took and passed, and your grade point average for that year.
Your class rank is important to the process of college admissions because they want to see how you grew or progressed throughout your high school career. Colleges also want to see how you placed academically compared to the rest of your class.
Class ranking is all based on the concept of weighted and unweighted grades.
We have all had that one teacher who passed almost everyone because they practically handed out grades.
Well, here is the problem, a student with a B in a class could know more than someone who has an A just because the teacher is lenient with grading their work.
Everyone needs to be given an equal opportunity for acceptance into college, regardless of where they went to school. Therefore, colleges take in your GPA and other highest weighted factors.
Many high schools are diverse with their curriculum, as some schools may offer ten AP classes, but others may only have one or two. For this reason, everyone would have the opportunity to get more weighted classes to boost their class rank.
Yet, there is always going to be that lingering question, “How do schools rank their students?”
Some schools can be vague with their class ranking description, as they could just say that you are in the top 10% or the top 25% of your class.
Colleges understand that schools can rank students in percentages or not rank at all; still, percentages all play back into all of the other components of college acceptance.
Now you understand why all of these factors are connected in some way, and if you take the advice given in this article, I guarantee you will be successful in the long run.
