<p>I'm now a Junior, and I hear/read all these emphasis on GPA and ECs. I had a bad Sophomore year last year (3.4-3.5 for both semesters). Cumulative UW now is 3.7.</p>
<p>I was trying very hard to get a better grade on an Honors class last year but didn't. I didn't know that GPA was the all-important thing, if I had known, I would have just dropped down to a regular class and would have gotten a higher GPA. </p>
<p>Is this a killer for applying to the really good colleges? My dream schools would be Brown University, Dartmouth, Carnegie Mellon. </p>
<p>Which schools do not consider the Freshman year GPA? If so, then this would make my cumulative UW much much lower.</p>
<p>I have ECs that shows strong commitment, but no leadership positions or important awards. Definitely not the type of "star" applicants, but I consider myself a well-rounded high school student.</p>
<p>Even if I get really good grades this year, this is still not going to bring my GPA up to the 3.9/4.0 level that those schools look for, particularly if they don't count Freshman GPA.</p>