Should high schools do away with class ranks?

Do these rankings hurt or help the academic and admissions processes?

Michael Haberman / Columnist

A high school student is put in a position where they are constantly being evaluated, whether it is through the implementation of standardized tests, their overall grade point average (GPA), or the degree to which they participate in extracurricular activities.

To subject these prospective college students to a comparison (or evaluation of sorts) between themselves and their fellow classmates only causes them to be overly concerned with their position in their senior class, rather than with the actual grades they obtain in their courses.

It is an ongoing philosophy to look at more than just what rank students may have among their classmates, providing students with the opportunity to be evaluated on the talents they may possess in other areas.

For instance, if students were to participate in an extracurricular activity such as playing a musical instrument, they may devote a lot of their time to that, as opposed to students who spend most of their time studying for tests.

By emphasizing a high importance on class rank, schools are confining students to a narrow margin for how they spend their time, rather than allowing them to experiment with different options through activities other than schoolwork.

Comments have been made such as colleges not being able to receive an accurate portrayal of prospective students if they don't have a rank because of a gap in the awards for A's that some schools may have when compared to others.

For whatever reason that may exist, instances like this usually exist among individual teachers, not schools  as a whole.

Therefore, in their entire high school curriculum, it is likely that the classes in which exemplary grades are difficult to achieve will balance with those in which they are rather easy to obtain, thus providing an accurate portrayal of students by using their GPA without having to categorize by class rank.

In high school, many schools use what is known as a five-point scale for grading, allotting students who take honors classes to earn a higher GPA than those who don't.

While it is nice to have this added perk for those who are taking such classes, it is not a reason why everyone should try to expedite their level of learning and take classes they may not be capable of succeeding in.

When schools utilize class ranks, they are forcing students to try to outdo their classmates.

It detracts students from learning at a pace that is comfortable for them and causes them to assume that they have to rank above their classmates in order to be appealing to targeted universities.

To sum it all up, the harsh competition and added pressure that comes with a class ranking system outweighs the usefulness it brings colleges in their admissions process.

There are plenty of other means of measuring applicants, all of which still show an accurate portrayal of academic performance.

A class rank may provide a university with a precise number as to where students rank, but it fails to consider the activities they engaged in that would have enhanced their learning experience outside of the classroom.

It encourages devotion to one aspect (classes) in a time period where diversification and engaging in new experiences is of vital importance.

Contact Michael Haberman at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.