Conversation so far:
What was Gore like while in Harvard?
Gore enrolled in Harvard College in 1965; he initially planned to major in English and write novels but later decided to major in government.
How did he do there?
During his first two years, his grades placed him in the lower one-fifth of his class.

Question: Did he start applying himself more after that?
Self-contained rewrite: Did Gore start applying himself more after been placed in the lower one-fifth of the class?