Bad Junior Year GPA, but good Senior Year GPA?

Hi,
In my junior year, I had a 3.6 unweighted.
If I raise it up to a 3.89 this semester, how would colleges see this? (im aiming for top 15 colleges in US…vanderbilt, northwestern, wustl)
I had a slight drop from my sophomore to junior year.
Would they reject me just because I had a 3.6 on my junior year?
Thanks!

Junior grades are most critical for college application. It is the only full year grades with more advanced level courses and it is the last year to demonstrate an upward trend. However, any improvement in grades would help. In your case, you may need to wait and apply RD as you want to demonstrate that improvement in the first semester (or at least the first quarter) of senior year instead of a downward trend. Nevertheless, those schools are highly competitive and are reaches for 4.0 students.