<p>I'll be blunt--I was an undeniably awful student my freshman and sophomore year. I only started acquiring interest in college near the end of my sophomore year, resulting in grades ranging anywhere from As to Ds (a total of two of the latter). I don't have an excuse; I really hadn't planned to go to college until recently. This year, though, I have all As--out of the five AP classes my school offers, I'm taking all the ones I qualify for (two this year, and at least one next year--two if I can work something out with the teacher).</p>
<p>So, Stanford is, perhaps, the longest shot I've ever taken, but I'm determined to, at the very least, give it my all. The worst I can do is make myself look better for other colleges. My grade history is definitely my biggest hurdle, though. Excluding everything else (SAT scores, extracurricular activities, etc.) how does Stanford look at grade improvement? Do they see it as determination, or do they only see a kid who slacked off their freshman and sophomore year? Any advice would be really great. Thanks.</p>
<p>In general, grade improvement is positively viewed. Improvement’s good, but to improve from Ds…</p>
<p>Getting into Stanford with Cs/Ds/Fs on your resume is very difficult to do. Stanford has about a 7% acceptance rate. People with perfect gpas and test scores get rejected. A few years ago above 90% of the incoming class had a gpa of 3.75 or higher. By now that number has probably risen. Many of the people with lower gpas probably had either a valid reason or some sort of hook.</p>
<p>Honestly, imo it doesn’t look too good for you right now on chances. Upward trend is good and if you continue to get all As and have good ECs/test scores you may have a shot at some competitive schools, but Stanford is a major reach.</p>
<p>i think it shows some of both
if you are really a changed person after those two years then i applaud you.
it takes guts and determination to bring yourself up like that.</p>