Final answer:
Colleges primarily consider the overall GPA of students, but also evaluate the trend of grades across all years and place added emphasis on the senior year GPA and major-specific GPA for upper-level and graduate programs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Colleges tend to care most about the overall GPA when evaluating a student's academic performance. However, they also consider the trend in grades over the years, meaning an upward trend with improving grades can be to a student's benefit.
While freshman year GPA provides initial insight into a student’s academic beginning, the senior year GPA indicates the student's most recent academic performance, which may also be reviewed closely, especially in terms of course rigor and preparedness for college-level work. A major-specific GPA can be particularly important for programs where certain prerequisite courses are vital, but this typically applies in the later stages of undergraduate study or when applying for graduate programs.