How to Become Valedictorian of Your High School or College Class
You have to start from the beginning, and by the beginning I mean freshman year of high school or college. From the day you sign up for courses, your quest for number one begins. First, the basics must be laid in front. Class rank, what determines valedictorian, salutatorian, etc. is determined through GPA. Every course has a certain weight, usually regular courses weigh in as 4pts (if they receive a mark of an A), honors courses weigh as 5pts, Advanced Placement (AP) courses weigh in as 6pts, and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses weigh in at 7pts.
All of the weighted points are added together and divided by the number of courses taken, thus, results the GPA. This is cumulative over the 4 years of high school or college so it is crucial to establish it your first and second years.
There is not a lot to it but to try to get straight A while simultaneously having the hardest course load possible. Yet, it is also very important that you do not overload yourself and end up getting lower marks in classes where you should be getting As. If you feel you have too much on your plate, then maybe being valedictorian is now what you were cut out to be.
In your quest to become the top of the top, remember to keep your enemies (and by this I mean the top 1% of your class fighting for the number one spot) in check. Keep track on how #2, 3, 4, and 5 are doing academically and consider any follies from their part your strength. These sort of folk will probably be in your AP and IB classes as they too are fighting to be valedictorian.
Now you might be asking yourself, do I really want to sacrifice four years of my life to become a number that everyone will forget after graduation? The answer is: Yes. There are a myriad of benefits that come from being valedictorian of a class. Not only to you get to write a speech and articulate it at graduation, but you also get recognized by top colleges, receive scholarships just for being "number 1", and get to graduate before everyone else (which really doesn't matter since everyone is going to graduate by the end of the night anyway). It basically paves your path to success and if you choose to follow you could end up at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc.
To be valedictorian, you just have to set your mind to it. Do the extra credit, study an extra hour, and say no to your friends one night or two, because it will all pay off in the end. It is all about numbers and grades and keeping your As straight and in line. There is no other factor involved other than grades. It is all computed through your school's system, it just depends what kind of input, you input.
Need more motivation?
Famous Valedictorians: W.E.B. Dubois, Jodie Foster, Cindy Crawford, Kevin Spacey, and Weird Al Yankovic.
Published by Fabienne Hernandaise
- Research for a High School or College Term PaperIf you take apart your thesis statement, you can find the elements on which you need to do research to convince your reader that you are right (and to convince your teacher to give you an A).
- Write 101 - 6 Tips for Writing High School and College EssaysAre you having a difficult time getting started on that high school or college essay? Here are 6 tips to help you breeze through the process. If you master the process during your high school years, your college car...
5 Things a High School Student Should Do to Get into CollegeDo not wait until your senior year in high school to get ready for college. To get into the college you want, with the scholarships you need, you need to prepare for college the...- Syncope in Athletic Young Adults: Affecting High School and College StudentsOffering an overview of the risks for syncope in the athletic young adult, specifically high school and college athletes, and what parents and coaches should know.
- The Best High School and College Graduation GiftsIt is graduation time and while it may be hard to tell who is more excited, the graduates or the parents, with this list you are sure to have the perfect graduation gift for your budget.
- Killer Graduation Quotes for Your High School Commencement Speech!
- 5 Advantages to Marrying Your High School or College Sweetheart
- 5 Drawbacks to Marrying Your High School or College Sweetheart
- How to Find and Select a Student Job While Attending High School or College
- Add Spice to Your High School Graduation Speech
- Get Career Training in High School or College to Become a Veterinarian
- How to Make a Second Income as a High School or College Tutor
- The valedictorian gets into the best colleges and basically has success written all over them.
- Class rank, what determines valedictorian, salutatorian, etc. is determined through GPA.
- Keep track on how #2, 3, 4, and 5 are doing academically.
39 Comments
Post a Commentwoooohooooo!! i finished my first semester with a 4.1429 GPA. as a freshman i consider that pretty good. it would be a 4.2 if i was in all honors classes. but luckily it looks like next year i will be in all honors classes!! currently i am on my school's varsity softball team. being a freshman and making a varsity team is so exiting. I'm gonna hit one outta the park!! wish me luck : )
OMG!!!! I'm taking my exams next week and I am so nervous. I am determined to get As on all of them. My hardest exam is defiantly going to be bio honors. I have already taken my photography exam and I got 100% : ) Please keep me in your prayers that I do amazing on my exams.
me again- : ) my first semester exams are coming up in 2 weeks. My first quater grade was straight As. My second quater is ending and it looks like i'll have straight As again. its just really frustrating because even with good grades theres always someone who has better grades than me and in harder classes. there is this one kid in paticular and he gets like 100s on all his tests. I just feel like i'll never be good enough. I'm still determined to be valedictorian though. High school is harder than i thought. i'm really scared about my exams. i'll post again to let u guys see my semester grades. Wish me luck!!!!!!! : )
just had my first day of actual high school with the upper classmen and it went well, i didnt get lost which was good. i want to become valedictorian so badddddd! but theres all sorts of smart people and their in all honors classes and im only in 2 out of 4. i feel like such a dumbass. but im really not. there's this 1 asian kid who's in all honors classes and he knows like every answer to the question that the teacher asks. it's so frustrating! i just need to make high A's and prove i should be in all honors classes. how hard can that be? harder than u think. : (
well i just had my freshman orientation yesterday, and it went well. there was 120 freshman. i cant wait to start my classes monday! i just feel kinda stupid because im only in 2 honors classes out of 4 but ill show them that i should be moved up because im am dedicated and i still want to become valedictorian. good news is i found a group of my own and they are kinda nerdy, like me. im so excited for bio honors because i love science so much!
hey bandLUVER15 im starting my freshman year this school year. do you have any advice to give me about academics and honors classes? thanks
hey guys. i just finished my freshman year of high school, and for the first symester i got straight As. i did marching band. but the second symester wasnt as good, i got 2 As, 1 B, and a C!!!:( but i took mostly honers classes the whole year. my weighted score is a 3.75, i want to be higher:( im gonna work harder next year to study more.
over the summer i plan to read A LOT of books, work on math problems, take IQ tests, and memorize all kinds of facts because i will be valedictorian of my high school and no one can stand in my way.
i also wanted to say that people will be jealous of your smartness and how much time you spend on your school work. The hell with them. my classmates make fun of me because i study A LOT. Just because i care about school and spend my time studying doesn't mean that i can't play sports. I play softball and soccer. I'm on a club soccer team and i play midfield. I'm really good. I play in the outfield for softball and catch every pop fly hit to me. My season just ended and i got MVP because i hit 4 homeruns which was far more than anyone else. Basically my point is nerds can play sports. I like to read in my free time, but i also like to watch TV too. Theres about 130 kids going into 9th grade for my private high school. Im still very much determined to become valedictorian.
i'm going into 9th grade next year. I just graduated from 8th at the top of my class with getting straight As all year. I did have some competition but i came out on top. in high school i want to be valdictorian. thank you for this article it was really inspiring. Wish me luck!