should I state my class rank in my personal statement? Forum

[delhigirl28]

Hi there,
I graduated from a non US/Canadian university, so my LSAC CAS report will probably say my UG score was "SUPERIOR" and stop at that.. However, I graduated at the top of my class and also in top 10 in the whole university( out of approx 40k students ). I want to make this obvious in my application, given that CAS wont mention it. Is the personal statement the right place to put this information?
what do people think?

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Hi there,
I graduated from a non US/Canadian university, so my LSAC CAS report will probably say my UG score was "SUPERIOR" and stop at that.. However, I graduated at the top of my class and also in top 10 in the whole university( out of approx 40k students ). I want to make this obvious in my application, given that CAS wont mention it. Is the personal statement the right place to put this information?
what do people think?

I would put it on my resume, as well as try to work it into my personal statement.

[MrPapagiorgio]

Is the personal statement the right place to put this information?

Yup, right before you write "I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal."

[soj]

I think it's best if you can get a recommender to mention it. If not, put it on the resume. lolno @ the PS.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

I think it's best if you can get a recommender to mention it. If not, put it on the resume. lolno @ the PS.

There are definitely non-douchey ways to tie a mention of this into a PS. Of course it can come off as extremely douchey if done poorly, but there really is nothing wrong with wanting to highlight an extremely important point that could get lost in the shuffle.

[soj]

There are definitely non-douchey ways to tie a mention of this into a PS.

I agree, but why waste words in the PS when you can mention it concisely and effectively on the resume? Use your numbers, LORs, and the education section of the resume to convey academic achievement; use the PS to convey less tangible qualities.

[BlakcMajikc]

resume. education should be on top anyway 99% of the time. put it up there with it. not the ps.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

There are definitely non-douchey ways to tie a mention of this into a PS.

I agree, but why waste words in the PS when you can mention it concisely and effectively on the resume? Use your numbers, LORs, and the education section of the resume to convey academic achievement; use the PS to convey less tangible qualities.

Maybe my lack of confidence in the thoroughness of admissions is a result of just going through OCI and callbacks--where more than a few times an interviewer has at most just glanced at your resume before your interview. I'm sure admissions is more in-depth, but now I'm starting to become a firm believer in leaning towards risking over-selling yourself, rather than under-selling yourself. Worst case scenario for over-selling yourself is you just need to be careful about not coming off as an arrogant asshole. Worst case scenario for under-selling yourself is you screw yourself over because an important detail got glossed over.

[admisionquestion]

resume yes. PS no.

PS is not the place to tell about your credentials.