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Some colleges recalculate HS GPA, excluding freshman year. Stanford and UC schools are among them. UC schools also exclude non-“a-g” courses in their recalculation. However, holistic schools that recalculate without freshman year do view the whole transcript and are aware of freshman grades. Beyond recalculation, most colleges favor an upward trend in grades. [This</a> report](<a href=“http://academic-senate.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/committees/aepe/hout_report.pdf]This”>http://academic-senate.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/committees/aepe/hout_report.pdf) on Berkeley admissions found that an upward trend in grades was one of the tested variables that had the strongest correlation with a low read score (lower read scores get admitted). Colleges are also particularly interested in the course grades that are most relevant to your college performance. Junior year college prep classes are often far more important than freshman year general foundation. Each year, the NACAS does a survey asking a large number of college admissions what factors are “considerable importance” in admissions decision. In the latest one I found (2011), the highest rated factor was “grades in college prep classes”, with 84% indicating considerable importance . “Grades in all courses” was far lower at 52%.</p>