u/Trick-Proposal-6946

My situation didnt change much and the family contribution increased by 16k...

title

I am a freshman at a good undergrad for physics. I am finding myself struggling gradewise, as I have about a 3.4 GPA. I have heard that I need at least a 3.5 or above for PhD programs and a 3.7 for great PhD programs. How badly does this first year hurt my chances? I feel as though I can improve as most of my issues I feel were study habits but I am scared this first year will have set me back. My school is also pretty known to have pretty bad grade deflation but I doubt that does anything. A little advice on how to overcome this obstacle would be nice.