<p>“When kids who aren’t top quartilel go to elites as premeds, they do often get derailed because there are too many other premeds that are stronger students”
-This is exactly what is happenning a in Honors colleges where student is surrounded with very high caliber kids and, yes, good number of these valedictorians will get derailed and NOT because of competition but because good program will have a weed out class right in the first sememster (in D’s case, it was the very first Bio class. Kids got out of pre-med track despite all those "A"s and "5"s in AP Bio and despite of their top 2% ranking in repsective HS classes. Did not make much difference. The ones who survived just happen to realize very quickly, literally in a first few days at college that despite thier highest standing in HS and despite of the rigor of their private prep. HSs, they have to adjust to much higher level of academics at college. Those who did not adjust (very good number), switched to other majors right after (or during?) the first sememster of colllege. I am not talking about average students. I am talking about top 200 kids who were accepted to Honors and most of whom were valedictorians primarily from the private prep. schools.</p>