One of the most competitive things at West Branch is class rank. The fight for valedictorian seems to be the key to success, while in reality, it’s not as important as people think.
Some schools have already dropped their ranking systems. The main reason why being the academic competition between students. Many people believe that it is unhealthy to fight over class rank and that some students take the competition way too far. Some schools have eliminated class rank to accommodate the kids who have barely missed a major class percentile, like ten percent or 25 percent. Some schools use exclusively class percentile instead of class rank. Some schools divide students into quarters (25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent), while other schools just acknowledge the top students (ten percent, 15 percent).
However, I believe that schools shouldn’t be abolishing the system, because class rank is still important in some ways. Some public universities will automatically accept students that apply with a certain class percentile (for more information, click here). Also, some scholarships require students to be in a certain class percentile. Some students get scholarships just by being a certain rank.
Yet whether or not class rank actually matters is all about context. For example, being valedictorian in a class of 600 is far more impressive than being valedictorian in a class of 70. Students also take weights into account. Some students avoid taking unweighted classes because getting a 100 percent grade in that class might actually lower their GPA rather than getting a 100 percent grade in a weighted class. However, every school is different, so admission officers will look at more than just GPA, class rank, or class percentile. Some schools offer programs like the National Honor Society or the Cum Laude Society to recognize scholastic achievement.
In spite of all of this information, a student’s future is not all about class rank. In fact, some universities started to disregard class rank due to the fact that some schools terminated their ranking systems. Also, universities look at so much more than just class rank. Extracurricular activities, student involvement, and leadership are all helpful for college admission. In addition, a student can get scholarships based on athletics, community service, and high SAT/ACT scores.
In conclusion, the fight for class rank shouldn’t be so aggressive. Many more factors go into being successful, like being involved in school activities, extracurricular activities, and community service. My advice for students is to just try your hardest, take classes you enjoy, be involved, and to not be so stressed about class rank.
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