<p>Another resource to look for at colleges is a writing center. Most colleges seem to have them these days. Familiarize yourself with it as soon as you get on campus, and make appointments for your initial papers to get off to a good start and get used to using them as a resource.</p>
<p>My kid was not as academically prepared as a lot of her peers, and attends a top STEM school. In particular, her school offered no AP sciences. She worked her tail off freshman year – a lot of the students in her class had already seen at least some of the material that was new to her. Her GPA was nothing to write home about, but she made it through and really loves it. She is a sophomore this year, and is finding that the playing field has leveled somewhat as everyone moves beyond material they may have seen before arriving on campus. She is still working super hard, but getting better results this year, too.</p>
<p>I’d say that the admissions committees usually know what they are doing. Take advantage of all opportunities for help when you get to campus, don’t sign up for too rigorous a courseload first semester (some people poo-poo it, but I think “rate my professor” is a good resource for incoming freshman who don’t know any older students to ask about rigor and professors), and work hard to stay organized. </p>