<p>MidwestParent, I found your story to be right on point. How well a student does at a reach school in large part depends on how hard they are willing to work. </p>
<p>I had an intern for two years (his father worked at our firm) who got into a very reachy LAC on a football scholarship. His SAT was under 1200 and concepts didn’t come quickly or easily to this student. However, he had the best work ethic of any intern I have ever had (so likely had a good GPA). He did great at his LAC and is doing well as a third year investment banker in NYC now. On the job, his father tells me the other Ibanker analysts got the concepts a lot quicker (and his son was often overwhelmed and discouraged) but he just worked harder and eventually learned what he needed to know. Once that crossover point occurred, his superior work ethic made him the boss’ favorite.</p>
<p>S1 commented his freshman year that some kids from rural schools were clearly not prepared for certain classes and he felt bad for them because it was hard enough for those who were prepared. However, I think the majority of them just worked that much harder and made it fine. </p>
<p>One of the things a student learns in college is how to dig deep and work hard when the going gets tough. In addition, they may learn that there are certain types of classes for which no amount of hard work will enable them to excel. Some subjects require an innate talent or gift beyond memorization and studying. Depending on the circumstances, the student learns that perfection is not an option (just passing is success) or learns to change classes or even majors.</p>