<p>So, I'm currently standing at a 3.64 right now in ECE at a well-known Canadian University (Queen's, but not so well known outside of Canada), but my last 1.5 yrs was pretty much 4.0 and my next year I predict will be a 4.0 (I got pretty passionate once finding inspiration). But because of some horrible 1st and 2nd year courses, including a 57% in a Graphics (prototype drafting/drawing) and 75% in Geology which they make 1st years do, my overall GPA has inertia.</p>
<p>I thought about trying to dilute the bad grades by ramping up the quantity of courses I do next year, but this puts me at risk of screwing up everything if I overdo it.</p>
<p>So I'm wondering how this will hurt my chances of getting into any of the top 20 MS ECE programs, assuming I graduate with something like a 3.7 overall, with perhaps 3.9 in last 2 yrs. Do you think the top 20 schools ignore your 1st yr grades if they see a significant improvement?</p>
<p>Appreciate informed advice, but please let me know if you're speculating.</p>