So I’m trying to figure out the GPA they will see. I basically have all As and A-s except for 1 B- that is dragging down my GPA. The class I got a B- in was a freshman orientation class (I know right) and all classes included my GPA is 3.81 but without that class its 3.89. Do colleges just look at the cumulative GPA or do they calculate GPA based on the classes they will accept?
Depends on the college. California public universities use GPA only on courses they consider transferable, but it is not necessarily true that other colleges have the same policy. You need to check each college specifically.
As said above, you’ll have to look at each of your schools. Either way, on the commonapp I think you get a chance to explain inconsistencies like a freshman orientation class.