<p>Can someone please explain how admissions people compare gpa/rank from one school to another? Are there any admissions officers out there who can tell me how this works?</p>
<p>Not an admissions officer, but I actually was in NYC for spring break and chatted a bit with my cousin’s friend’s mom who has worked in the admissions departments of Brown, Barnard, Williams, and another school or two. It was clear that she knew very well what an A truly means an a ton of schools in my area.</p>
<p>Bottom line: if you’re at an elite prep school or even a TRULY top-notch public, adcoms will understand that you worked harder for your grades than kids at craptastic schools with rampant grade inflation.</p>
<p>Usually, each admissions officer is assigned a certain region that they are in charge of. That admissions officer gets to know the schools in that particular region VERY well so they would know if you come from a relatively competitive high school.</p>
<p>:) if you think about an admissions office’s mission to get the “best” class, it’s to their benefit to correctly discern this vital metric, no? It’s to their peril to ignore these subtleties. Put yourself in their shoes. It’s not perfect but I hope this helps you worry less.</p>