“How to be in the top 1% of your class; a guide for the underclassmen”
Moving from Illinois to Florida in 2020, I was unfamiliar with the Hillsborough County Educational System, and having started to think about my college plans, I felt lost.
Having met with my counselor freshman year to see my transcript, I was 250th in the class. Not understanding the meaning of this number, I asked her how to be a lower number, and she said, “Get good grades.”
Having a lot of free time, I decided to take some classes on FLVS to learn more about the career I wanted to pursue- law- and the next thing I knew, I was already the 125th in the class. Continuing this trend, I am successfully graduating in the top 1% of my class with a weighted GPA of 7.91 (which will increase due to the year ending.)
All in all, class rank is something obscure and not commented upon much, bringing competition and rivalry among the fellow Panthers attending this high-ranking high school. But here are my three tips on how you can achieve this goal.
Dual Enrollment Classes
While the application process is rigorous and is the factor that discourages many people from applying, it is the most effective and easiest way to boost your class rank. I took 4 dual enrollment classes, and my biggest regret is not taking more. Another tip is to check the professors on ratemyprofessor.com and their rating and any comments students might’ve left. Dual enrollment classes tend to be easier and give a great GPA boost (that might be even higher than for AP classes)
Take 8+ classes a year
While most of your classmates will be taking seven classes per semester, by you taking one-three extra can really make a difference. A good mix between FLVS and HCC classes, and you will be in the top 1-10% by the end of your high school career.
FLVS Honors classes
Having taken 21 (one or two semester) FLVS classes, I was able to drop from 25oth to 4th in the class by the time of applying to college. While such ranking changed, I have not maintained a 4.0, but stayed in the 1% of my class by the time of graduation. The classes I took were regular, honors, or AP. Below I am ranking some of the most memorable courses that you might consider taking.