Freshman year I got 3 Bs, Sophmore I got 1, and hopefully zero this year. Freshman year really messed up my class rank. I’m not top 10% of my class. I know some colleges will discount freshman year, but will they reconsider my rank without it? Schools I’m considering are UNC, Duke, Georgetown, ivies etc … (My standardized testing scores and ECs are good)
While an upward trend is always viewed positively, many colleges do consider freshman year. A number of the colleges you have are reaches for anyone – even people with perfect grades and perfect test scores. I’d recommend that when the time comes (junior year) that you honestly asses your academics (including GPA, course rigor, standardized tests) and work to create a solid college list that includes reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (find out your parents’ budget and run the net price calculator for each school) and that you would be happy to attend. IMO the most important part of the process is coming up with match and safety schools that you love. The people I see who get hurt by the college admission process are the ones who focus on a group of hyper-competitive schools and then don’t get in. Cast a wide net and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
You have dug yourself a bit of a hole. The schools you mention have an obvious preference for top 10% (the stats will depress you) and for the elite school it raises concerns about falling behind at their institutions. With that said they don’t dismiss freshman year but instead place it within context.
What will your teachers say about your resilience and growth? Can you provide a narrative as to why it happened and how you responded.
We were reminded several times that the people who read essays are real people. Be genuine and find a means to show that your whole life hasn’t been easy but that you crack but don’t break and eventually rise to the top. Also you will need exceptional ECs. Good luck
Colleges don’t make up some adjusted rank. They use the ranking supplied by your HS. Don’t just target reaches for schools. Make sure you have a safety you can afford and would love to attend.