<p>Another interesting note is that at SOME schools the top 1-8% of the class have been at the same school for all 4 years. What a lot of people are saying in this thread is that if you push yourself/have your parents push you, you can do it. Well people can also still push themselves but life happens. You move states/different schools, then different grading scales, new envionrment, you also want to be involved in sports/ECs, making new friends, all these other factors. Whether you are a military child or corporate transfer child, today a lot of students are a lot more transient than they used to be. Don’t forget about them and those that suffer from other conflicts such as, family and health conflicts. I don’t understand your narrowminded viewpoint on class rank…there are a lot of externalities in this world that don’t fit your perfectly executed/planned high school experience that launched you to that top rank.</p>
<p>And of course these are not excuses, but additional obstacles that require a less straightforward approach to getting in the top ranks.</p>