I wait eagerly for January each year when the counselors come to my social studies class and hand out the envelope with my transcript inside. I love looking at my transcript. That’s about the nerdiest thing I can say, but it’s true. I’m proud of my grades, and I’m proud of my class rank.

Some students say class rank sparks rivalries between students and only makes them feel worse about themselves. Instead of worrying about the perfect little know-it-all that holds the spot in front of them, however, class rank can inspire a student to improve individually. They can choose to focus on the numbers instead of the people.

And maybe that perfect little know-it-all isn’t the star of the basketball team. Maybe he doesn’t have anyone to eat lunch with. Maybe he’s not so proud of that. But he’s number three in his class, and that’s something to be proud of.

The same theory applies to sports, too. Getting rid of class rank would be like giving back the state championship title in football. The teams that lost surely feel bad about their performance and believe it doesn’t show how hard they worked, just as some would argue about class rank. In the sports world, this is considered a learning moment. For those arguing against class rank, this mo- ment is considered crushing and grounds to get rid of the entire system.

In addition to the opportunity to teach life lessons, class rank is a useful tool for colleges. They require a class rank in some way on applications, whether it’s a percentile or an actual number. It’s a quick way for colleges to rank students, which they would have to do with or without class rank to decide who would be accepted.

Sports are ranked. Losing is a learning experience and winning is the best feeling in the world, or so I’m told. I don’t kick, throw or catch. I do my homework, study and obsess over school. Class rank shows off my skills just as a state championship shows off an athlete’s. It’s a valuable tool to know-it-alls and athletes alike.