Importance of high school freshman grades

Applying to College
1

<p>I am curious to know how important a high schooler's freshman year grades are to Ivies and other top schools. Are they on the same par as sophomore and senior year grades (junior obviously being the most important)? Or do top schools only look at the cumulative GPA and not individual grade sections?</p>

<p>The reason being is that I had a rough freshman year, with mostly B's due to my father's coping with cancer and his eventual death midway through. I've been able to go through sophomore year fine with all A's and hopefully all A's throughout senior/junior year. So i'm curious as to what extent my chances with some Ivies (Cornell, UPENN, Brown, Dartmouth) and other top schools will be affected by my freshman year, and if I will be able to offer an explanation as to why my freshman year turned out the way it did.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

2

<p>for UC, zero importance to freshman grades …</p>

3

<p>Sounds reassuring because I have a slight inclination to try for one or two UC’s. However, my main priority colleges are in the Northeast around where I live. Thanks for the input.</p>

4

<p>anyone else?</p>

5

<p>What makes you think colleges value junior year grades more than any other year…?
Sophomore/Junior/senior year courses and grades are essentially of equal importance. Freshman year grades are important because they factor into your GPA and rank, but otherwise, not of much importance, unless you totally bombed classes. Some schools (including some ivies) recalculate GPA and do not consider your freshman year.</p>

<p>Your application will have a section for additional information. Definitely a good place to (briefly, don’t whine) explain your situation freshman year.</p>