Do colleges care about how I did freshman year?

Hi, I'm a junior now, and as I've been going through the college application process, I've been wondering how much my freshman year grades matter. I know I've grown a lot since then, but do colleges take that into account or do they view all four years equally?

Most colleges do consider your entire high school transcript, including your freshman year grades, when evaluating your application. However, many colleges place more weight on your grades from sophomore, junior, and senior years since these years typically involve more rigorous coursework, they better reflect your growth and academic progress, and they're more indicative of the student who will actually be arriving on campus.

Admissions officers understand that students may face challenges that are specific to freshman year, or simply need time to adjust to high school. If you had lower grades during your freshman year but showed an upward trend in subsequent years, colleges will likely recognize and appreciate your improvement. In fact, this upward trend can demonstrate resilience, determination, and development of academic skills - qualities that are desirable to colleges.

With that being said, it's crucial to focus on maintaining strong grades throughout the rest of high school and put extra effort into your junior and senior years. Additionally, it may be helpful to address your freshman year performance in your college application, either in an essay or through the "additional information" section, to provide some context or to highlight how you've grown academically since that time. CollegeVine's blog contains some advice on how you might do so: https://blog.collegevine.com/additional-information-about-commonapps-additional-information-section

In summary, while your freshman year grades do matter, admissions officers usually consider your entire academic trajectory and tend to give greater importance to your performance in later years. Demonstrating an upward trend in grades and showing a strong commitment to your coursework can help offset a weaker start to high school. Good luck!