<p>In first semester of my freshman year, my grades were half B’s and half A’s. In second semester, I had B’s in 2/7 of my classes. In sophomore year, I got one B and all A’s for both semesters. If I did really well in junior years, lets say straight A’s would colleges (Ivy leagues, UC schools, etc) like that?</p>
<p>The “improvement” thing is a myth for ultra selective colleges like the Ivies or UCB. Less so for the other UCs. Why? Because they have applicants in abundance who are 4.0s or slightly less. They will reject thousands of these. Unless you can demonstrate something of great value to these schools, your “improvement” won’t get you very far.</p>
<p>For UCB your improvement and continued improvement in sophomore and junior year will help you a great deal. This is not because of the “subjective” nature of the improvement but because the UCs look only at your sophomore and junior year grades.</p>
<p>It’s very difficult to “undo” a mediocre freshman year for the most selective colleges. Your rank in class is an important factor in consideration of your application, and, in general, most of your grades, regardless of year earned, are factored into the computation.</p>
<p>But there are always exceptions. Strong grades in junior year coupled with strong class participation can lead to strong recommendations. These are very important in college applications. Exceptional senior year grades, even those received after college acceptance decisions are in, can help students get picked from waiting lists.</p>
<p>So stay on track!</p>