Messed up 1 semester of Sophomore

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

Hi guys,

I’ve been reading that freshman grades are completely overlooked when applying to colleges.

Freshman year:

1st Sem: 3.5
2nd Sem: 3.86

Sophomore year:

1st Sem: around a 3.0

I am taking 2 AP classes, 1 with a C (AP world) and the other with a B+ (AP seminar).
Is this sophomore year GPA going to ruin my chances of getting into anywhere like Berkley or UW?
If I do better 2nd semester will it not matter as much?
My cumulative GPA with freshman year included will be a 3.45, however, i think colleges will look at it as a 3.0 because freshman is excluded from the equation.
I’m a year younger than everyone in my grade, I moved from England 1 year ago, and switched high schools for 3rd quarter.

2

It will depend upon the college. Some do not consider Freshman grades in their GPA calculation, but will still look at the courses taken Freshman year, especially if there are specific course requirements needed to apply to that particular college. You need to check each schools website to see what is used in their application review.

3

Not all colleges ignore freshman year, but you’re right that UCs do. (http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/q-and-a/calculating-gpa/#4)