67: "When you are 1 of 45 valedictorians, you aren't very special. Better to be at the tippy top of a mid-grade public HS than be mid-grade at a private."
Mmmmmm … maybe, maybe not. I would rather be one of 45 valedictorians in a school that routinely sends 50 kids to top-tier colleges than be the tippy top student of a mid-grade public HS that only sends one kid every 3 or 4 years to a top-tier college. Maybe you aren’t as “special” being one of 45, but the odds of getting where you want to go are much more in your favor.