I am 12th in my class out of 150 or so students. I have gotten all A's and one B up through the end of my Junior year (looking at transcripts). With those kind of grades you'd think my rank would be quite a bit higher, not that a 12 is low, but I don't get honored much for it. The B I got was in an AP American History class. I know a few schools give extra points for honors and AP classes, mine doesn't. My rank falls lower than the students that took all the easy "if-you-can-breath-you-pass" classes. I have taken advanced classes in every course possible. I think it's terribly unfair that while students are getting 4.0's because they took classes that were not challenging, I've got a 3.9 for really hard classes. Again, 3.9 isn't bad.. but I won't be getting a full ride out of it. There's something not right with the system. Students should be ENCOURAGED to do their best and be challenged. I believe we get Senioritis because we feel that we are no longer being challenged, and by Senior year we see that the people having easier classes are getting the better grades. I refuse to get Senioritis this year, I took every challenging course availabe to me, but that doesn't change anything, I'm still not a 4.0 student because the school doesn't give me the credit I deserve.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
I think my school is the same, because one of my classmates took all the regular classes (she transfered this semester) and she was getting into principal's honor roll every year. She took all the easy classes and she got all A's, but she didn't challenge herself. I take all the AP classes and honors classes I can take and my GPA isn't the best. I agree with you, I think the school system should change that.
I dislike that; I've seen kids lose full-rides because the APChem teacher flat-out said, "None of you will get higher than a 92% in this class. None of you" (I wouldn't believe it, but I've heard different kids say the same thing, and they aren't all in the same year, and most of them don't know each other). My boyfriend's brother had an amazing GPA (3.989 or something like that. It was really, really good), and he's now down to around a 3.8 because of his Chem. Poor boy.
============
http://progressiveu.org/170636-i-agree-marriage-should-be-kept-sacred
(Latest blog. )