How much does gpa matter if there's no class rank?

disd00dtho

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Feb 20, 2019
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Hi all,
So my high school doesn't have class ranks (the entire school district doesn't use them). How much does my GPA matter because of this?
My GPA isn't that great (3.6 weighted) but I took the hardest classes at my high school (ie calc BC) and did well on standardized tests such as the APs and ACT (super score 35).
Thanks in advance :)
 
Essentially, they will use your ACT score, and that will end up establishing the academic portion. You should be pretty solid with that fantasy ACT.
 
They will impute a class rank based on your standardized test score percentile. If you are on the 99th percentile for the ACT than you will receive a class rank of 1 out of 100.
 
They will impute a class rank based on your standardized test score percentile. If you are on the 99th percentile for the ACT than you will receive a class rank of 1 out of 100.
That seems somewhat unfair. Suppose two kids both had 36 ACTs. Let's say one of them gets B's and goes to a school that does not report class rank, while the other is ranked gets A's and is ranked 5/100 at a school that does report rank. So USMA is going to rank the B kid higher at 1/100?
 
That seems somewhat unfair. Suppose two kids both had 36 ACTs. Let's say one of them gets B's and goes to a school that does not report class rank, while the other is ranked gets A's and is ranked 5/100 at a school that does report rank. So USMA is going to rank the B kid higher at 1/100?
Welcome to life! Folks please class rank in meaningless. The WCS give more weight to the standardized ACT/SAT. So if you have two candidates with a perfect 36 ACT they would both probably receive an offer of appointment IF...their WCS wins their MOC slate or have an LOA or Top 150 National Pool. There are many different avenues to gain an appointment just put together the best package you can and wait for the BFE or TWE. It is a very stressful time for parents and candidates. But all you can again is put together your best package and let the chips fall where they may. Good luck to all.
 
Ranked 1st or 5th is pretty close anyhow. I doubt that a difference of 3 spots at different schools will make OR break an application.
 
The great equalizer is the Regional Commander. The RC is familiar with the schools in the region and has some discretion in calculating WCS points. To avoid bias, all WCS scores must be verified by another RC.

There was a case several years ago where a stellar candidate (who got an appointment) was ranked near the bottom of the class at a small school that sent almost all students to Ivy League or equivalent colleges. USMA is not going to lose an outstanding candidate because of an anomaly that doesn't fit the system.

USMA admissions is probably the most objective and fair system in the country. It would be nice if all candidates were evaluated equally in college admissions, but that is not reality. The WCS system is about as close as it gets.
 
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