School is H/P/F, so does rank really not matter as long as ur top 1/3?

[zeebbie]

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[sajjy]

I go to a competitive dental school -- grading is H/P/F. I am in my first year and I am just barely getting honors in all my classes.

I am working hard enough to accomplish this and no harder. I am probably in the top third of my class.

Now I didn't say this to brag but I really want to know if I should go all out and do my best, like try be valedictorian. Or should I just be chill and be in top 1/3 of my class.

Does it matter? Cuz my school doesn't release the rank. They award special prizes to the top 10% at the end of 1st year and then they give a big award to the top student at the end of 3rd year -- but that is all. If you're between the top 11% - 33%, no special recognition for you!

I want to be competitive for all the specialties like ortho, whatever, keep all my doors open. Should I be a gunner? I have it within me. But I lately, I don't see the point...

I am going through some hard times right now. For those of you in ortho, endo, the competitive stuff.... please tell me what to do. This is a really big deal b/c getting honors in everything only requires like 60% of the work that it would take me to try and be top 5%.

Is it worth it? Does it really matter? If it is worth, then I will work harder.

Why not try for the best, rest will work out on its own.

 

[gryffindor]

Of course it matters. If you decide you wanted ortho/OMS/endo after junior year or even after you graduate, you should give yourself every advantage possible to matching into the specialty. You don't want to be left with "what ifs." Once you graduate, you can't change your rank. You can always do more research, be involved in activities, stay in academics, marry the properly connected spouse, and even retake the boards if you're crazy, but you can't raise your class rank. I realize your school doesn't rank, but being put in the "top 10%" still makes you stand out over all the other blah candidates that will be applying from your H/P/F school.

How is an H any different than an A? I can look down a transcript and see how many Hs a student earned versus his solid-P classmate regardless if the school assigns a rank or not. Not that I will be sitting on any admissions committees anytime soon, but just thinking out loud.