“Get good grades!” “Get involved!” “Challenge yourself!”

Things heard year after year by students from teachers, counselors, and parents. Many students push it aside as if it’s no big deal, when in reality, everything said goes in one ear and out the other. When the time comes around, students will realize these wise people were correct and their advice could’ve helped them in the long run.

Not too long ago, juniors got their much-anticipated class ranks. In the class-rank system, there are three types of people: those who work their hardest and end up pleased at the top of the food chain, those who somewhat cared about their grades and either are or aren’t really satisfied, and those who don’t even know what class rank is or what it means.

“Class rank is a mathematical summary of a student’s academic record compared to other students,” counselor Emily Nichols said.

Upperclassmen get ranked based off of their GPA from previous school years. Whereas taking advanced classes has a grand impact on the GPA, the main tips to achieve a high GPA is hard work, getting everything done, and studying.

To some, getting their rank was a wakeup call to get their act together.

“I’d recommend students to work hard and get good grades,” senior Anais Garcia said. “I didn’t do my best and I wish I had.”

Moving up ranks will be harder than it sounds. In order to move up, students would need to improve their grades, work hard, and keep in mind the fifteen quality points added to the student’s GPA when taking an advanced course.

Colleges, universities, and scholarships look heavily on a students’ class rank, extracurricular activities, SAT and ACT scores, and the range and median of a student’s GPA when they go through the admissions process. Although class rank is significant, it is not the only thing that is considered. Therefore, it’s not worth tormenting oneself over it.

“Class rank is just a number,” Nichols said. “It doesn’t define who you are as a person.”