Freshman GPA

<p>Hey guys, I just have a question about this rumor that I have heard, and I'd appreciate if you guys could either nullify it or verify it. Is it true that UPENN does not look at freshman GPA? And what other top schools do not look at or care much for freshman gpa?</p>

<p>I’m not sure about Penn’s policy on freshman GPA (I would think they don’t look at it because mine were terrible, but I had a justifiable reason, and I still got through).
With regard to your other question, Princeton definitely doesn’t look at your freshman GPA or so they say on their website.</p>

<p>I think colleges generally understand that freshman year can be a big adjustment for many students and give leeway when they compare it to the whole transcript. It’s more important that you do well later on. That essentially shows that you did get a solid background from freshman year even if your grades were lower. I went to a very competitive high school, and I know that many people who didn’t do as well their freshman year as during the rest of high school (myself included) did fine with college admissions. One such person got into Brown.</p>

<p>It’s important insofar as it affects your ranking. When they look at your transcript they will focus on junior year, but they consider ranking as a sort of separate factor. If frosh year knocks you out of top 10% then it will likely keep you out of Penn.</p>