<p>I have a good GPA, but a lot of it comes from freshman year. Since then, it goes down about .2 points, then swings backup nea the end. However, if I cut out freshman year, I'm down to around 3.75 rather than 3.8 (uw). Am I safe in assuming I can keep freshman year factored in my gpa (for the most part)?</p>
<p>Depends on college. A number of colleges do not consider freshman year grades in the admission process, examples: Yale, Michigan, all UC's. Moreover, many that do look at a downward trend in grades from freshman year onward as a negative and an upward trend as a positive. However, whether you need to have any concern is unclear. The kind of drop you are talking about, from a 4.0 to a 3.8 UW does not seem to be much and may be a factor only at the most selective schools (and for those it will be just because the 3.8 UW puts you in the middle to lower 50% of typical persons admitted). Also, be aware that you need to know whether your 3.8 is a 3.8 for those highly selective schools. It will depend on what you are counting. If only college prep courses in English, math, lab science, social studies, and foreign language then it is probably a 3.8. If you are including all those A's you got in health, vocational classes, PE, art, and other non-college prep courses, then be aware a lot of colleges don't count those.</p>
<p>Hmm, now I'm slightly more worried, as that would drop me to something like a 3.75, which should be pretty intense for a lot of the more competitive colleges.</p>
<p>Yale includes freshman year. You're thinking of Princeton.</p>
<p>What top schools include freshman year?</p>