will bad freshman grades hurt me??

Applying to College
1

I am a current sophomore.

During my freshman year, I was careless and probably ended up with around a 3.25 unweighted GPA. However, I’m now more serious about school and just got a 4.0 in my first semester of sophomore year. I am confident that I can maintain straight As for the rest of high school because I’m more hardworking now and spend my time more wisely. I am also taking the most rigorous courseload at my school.

Let’s assume that I get straight As for the rest of high school…
Freshman: 3.16 (first semester), 3.33 (second semester) (all honors and ap world history)
Sophomore: 4.0, 4.0 (all honors, ap euro history, ap computer science principles)
Junior: 4.0, 4.0 (precalc honors, ap chinese, ap physics 1 and 2, ap lang, regular us history, ap computer science A)
Senior: 4.0, 4.0 (ap chem, ap physics c, ap stats, ap macroeconomics, …)

My unweighted GPA from beginning of freshman year to end of junior year would be a 3.76.
My unweighted GPA including my senior year would be a 3.83.

I know that college applications are during the fall of senior year, so colleges will not see my senior year GPA and would only see that my GPA would be a 3.76. I know this is a REALLY low GPA but I hope that colleges will understand that I did poorly my freshman year of high school, learned from my mistakes, and did well my sophomore and junior year of high school by maintaining straight As while taking a really rigorous courseload (by the end of junior year, I would have taken 7 AP courses).

I’m really worried because I am trying to get into good universities for undergrad computer science or engineering, and would be competing against applicants with 4.0s, but I hope universities know that freshman year is a difficult year transitioning from middle school, with new friend groups and a whole new school. Is freshman year seen as less important than all the other years? Would I still be competitive for cs/engineering schools like Georgia Tech, CMU, UIUC, UWaterloo, etc…?

Ahhhhhh this is freaking me out, but if this will really hurt me in admissions and result in me being rejected, please tell me. I would rather get blunt and real advice instead of sugarcoated advice. Thank you.

2

You will earn what you earn, but be sure to do your best each semester. It is beyond silly to freak out about your GPA freshman year. Pick out schools that you will thrive as a student and person. If many teens lives ended while still in high school, we would all be stepping over bodies. Relax! Enjoy school and learn! Look forward to your future whatever that becomes!

3

A 3.76 is fine, relax. Yes they’ll see that number, but will also see an upward trajectory in your grades. That GPA will be competitive for the schools you listed.

4

@zannah @aoeuidhtns Thanks for the advice, I just got worried that colleges would turn me away because of my low GPA

5

If you’re looking at Engineering or CS, a bigger potential issue is your proposed math progression. Most of the successful applicants will have taken Calculus (and many will have gone beyond AB Calc.) Your current proposed math progression will not just put you at a disadvantage if you get into one of those competitive fields since you’ll be playing catchup, but will make your application less competitive because you won’t have the same course rigor that the admissions people will be looking for. Instead of doing precalc your junior year then AP Statistics your senior year, is there any way you could do Calc - AB if you have to but BC would be better - your junior year?

6

@milee30 thanks for the advice! I completely forgot to add that I am taking ap calc bc during my senior year. For my grade level, that is farthest I can go for math and the school does not allow us to skip or test out of certain classes. For my school, the most advanced math progression is geometry honors, algebra 2 honors, precalc honors, and then ap calc bc, which is what I am planning on doing. I can’t take ap calc ab my junior year and only have the option of either ab or bc during my senior year.
Will this still put me at a disadvantage?

7

I don’t know. But if that’s all your school allows then you are doing the most rigorous courses your school offers, which is good (and all you can do anyways, so why spend too much time worrying about things you can’t control.) At least you will have taken Calculus before college, which will put you in with the majority of CS and Engineering majors so that’s positive.

8

A lot of these colleges can be pretty unforgiving about GPA, but your scores show a dramatic turnaround. It’s definitely worth a shot, but don’t stress over it. In CS, it makes little difference where you graduate. That degree is highly employable out of college. I would suggest going for a scholarship. You stand a better chance of being successful when you can focus your time on your new job and gaining experience, rather than worrying if you’re going to make rent.

9

@coolguy40 Could you please clarify on what you meant by “going for a scholarship”? I am also considering software/chemical engineering with a minor in cs and/or business. Would it matter where I graduate if I plan to do that instead?

10

I can only advise on computers, because that’s the industry I’m in. Software engineering and CS are very similar, and they usually overlap in the career world. With those, there really isn’t a need for a prestigious college. If you get into a prestigious school, and you feel it’s best for you, then GREAT! Chemical engineering is a very different field with very different career demand, so I can’t really advise on that, sorry :slight_smile:

11

@coolguy40 that’s fine, thanks :slight_smile:

12

No