I think that often the traits that make us “good children” work against us as adults. Successful children are often hard working rule followers. They want those around them to be proud but they can also inaccurately assume a lot on what others want. They are young and inexperienced and mistake how it feels to be good at something with interest and passion. As a parent, it’s easy to inadvertently push them and not realize the pressure a kid is feeling in any one area. It’s easy to see “my kid is so passionate and driven” without seeing “my kid may think this is what I need from them.”
Add that the accolades stop. Before college, life can be a sea of external praise and awards. There is always another competition. Another external motivation to keep you focused. Take that away and it’s just work in a field that maybe isn’t as attractive without the glory.
These kids go to college surrounded by people who aren’t particularly invested in them and they can flounder, not sure how to stay motivated without the external pressure they’ve always felt (even when that perceived pressure was conjured up internally.) many kids regroup, find something they “actually” care about but others just get lost and burn out struggling to figure it out in the 4 short years of college.