How important is rank?

glassesarechic
Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:07:59 +0000

Rank is indeed very important, though the difference between 1 and 5 may not be particularly significant, still being top 1%. I was accepted as rank 6 (7 at time of app, 6 at midyear) out of a similarly-sized class, but an online class dropped my UW GPA and bumped me from sal. My point is that it’s certainly possible.

My worry, however, is you can raise your rank by “scrounging for extra credit.” This leads me to believe that you have a few B’s or A-'s floating around. Do your best to get those up. Will it make the difference between an acceptance or a rejection? Not necessarily. (And my high school philosophy was a lot like yours–do your best where you can, don’t grovel where you can’t.) But common sense says that the highest rank and the highest GPA gives you the best chance of being accepted. If a higher rank is within reach, why not take it and maximize your chances?