I think a lot of that "breezed through hight school to find themselves in a rough spot" problem is caused by the "same" hi-school education for all system in US. At the time the kids get to high school there are simply too big differences between them. Therefore the slow ones will be tooooooo slow and the bright ones will be bored.

IMHO at about 14, 15 it's the highest time to separate them out. So that they end up with others at about the same level. With others that they can (and have to) compete with.

Suppose you were preparing for some town-level athletic competition. Will you improve if you will practise with a world champion? I guess not. He'll be too god for you. Will you improve if your practise with someone whos fat and slow? No way, you don't have to push yourself to be quicker.

Jenda

P.S.: Here (Czech Republic) the system was such that the first 8 years we were all in the same schools and then we dispersed into several totaly different types of schools.

(If some sentences do not make sense it's beause of my english. When I'm try to speak about something nontechnical I hit the limits.)