Will graduate schools really care

[Benzoate]

If your grades for your first freshman physics courses are average, ranging from C's to B's, but your academic performance is decent in your upper level undergraduate physics courses.

 

[bravernix]

If your grades for your first freshman physics courses are average, ranging from C's to B's, but your academic performance is decent in your upper level undergraduate physics courses.

Decent, or good upper level coursework? A performance improvement is basically always a good thing. Also, some schools consider your GPA for last two years of coursework (priority over cumulative). I guess the answer, as usual, is it depends on the school.