Hello, I was just wondering if freshmen year is a big deal in applications to higher end/ivy colleges. I’ve gotten only a 3.5 gpa my fist semester, with all the honors classes, a language, art and band. I’m also in varsity sports, but does the 3.5 gpa kill my chances at getting into a good college? Any response is appreciated 
Not very much. It does matter, but upward trends matter more.
I think a good philosophy to have for all report cards is As and Bs. One or two C’s are okay only for AP/IB/Honors. Study hard and be involved in something you are interested in. Not just in sports, but in community organizations as well. Develop a good relationship with teachers/principals/superintendents/etc. Your administrators should have a good impression of you. Take advantage of all opportunities you have, and ultimately just do your best and enjoy high school. I wish you the best of luck!
What’s your defn of “good college”? If you’re talking about schools with under 10% admit, the “upward trend” thing is way overblown. Those sorts of schools have 1000s of people with across the board excellence.
ITA with T26E4.
Frankly, I wish College Confidential would replace the phrase “upward trend” with asterisks, the way it does when posters use profanity.
I got a 3.3 my first semester of freshman year with similar stats. I improved my GPA and I was just admitted to Northwestern.
If you keep at it and do what you enjoy, you’ll be fine.