<p>I really think it depends on the student and how prepared he or she is. I went to a small Catholic high school with good intentions but limited resources. I remember the summer after my freshman year in college telling my cousin, who was a HS freshman “When your teachers tell you your high school classes are nothing compared to what you’ll get in college, believe it! Believe it because it is all true!” I thought maybe he’d listen to someone close to his own age - turns out he went to an elite all-male LAC and even more elite grad school and has done great.
S1 has done much better in college than he did in high school, but he went to the top academic HS in our state, took a curriculum full of AP and honors courses and was better prepared than most. Also, his major plays to his strengths and he’s passionate about it, so that helps.</p>