High school students in general — but Uni students specifically — have a lot to worry about. I know I do. Will I get into the architecture program of my dreams? When will my braces ever come off? How will I pay for college? Will I run a good time at my next meet? Will I do well in my SAT, ACT, and all the other myriad of tests that I will have to endure?

There is, however, one thing I don’t have to worry about: class rank.

It’s not that I don’t care how my achievements compare with those of my classmates. Sometimes knowledge of your relative position can be comforting — or it can motivate you to work harder. When I screw up on a test it helps to know that just about everybody else did, too. If I get a good grade on a paper I’d like to confirm whether I am truly brilliant or whether I am simply dealing with an overly generous teacher.

Clearly, having perspective is useful. The class ranking system, however, can and often does get out of hand. Think of the many valedictorian-related lawsuits.

Increasingly, schools are getting rid of class rank.

There are good reasons for not having a class-rank system. A thousandth-point difference on a GPA can result in a large gap in ranking. No one can say that that accurately reflects reality. Apart from the top performers, ranking actually hurts students in the college admission process.

Colleges can misinterpret rank. For example, a student ranked 20th at Uni may have vastly different academic achievements than a student ranked 20th at a regular big high school. Some schools weight grades, others don’t. Some schools have easy A’s, others don’t.

Do we really want to struggle with figuring out which class will give us the most points? All I want to think about beyond taking the required classes is to take classes that I find interesting. Not the ones that will push up my GPA. I'm not interested in manipulating a system — I want to learn.

Given Uni’ s environment of ambitious students, an overt competition for rank would be extremely unpleasant and unbelievably stressful. It would definitely impact the way we relate with each other.

On the other hand, shouldn’t hard work be rewarded? We recognize our top athletes, but not the students who are academically exceptional. Uni has a valedictorian — a student who gives the farewell address at commencement — but not one in the true sense of the word.

At Uni, valedictorians aren’t picked based on academic excellence — they’re picked by popular vote. And I’m not sure academic merit plays a role in the choice. Doesn’t it seem ironic that at an academically gifted and talented school the ultimate academic award is shunned?

Isn’t there another way? Isn’t it possible to have a real valedictorian without the class rank being public? Can’t this award be given at the end of senior year (when it has little practical value and is therefore not contentious)?

An exceptional student deserves an exceptional honor.