<p>Yes, success in college requires a higher level of self-motivation than in high school.</p>
<p>High school AP courses are supposed to emulate college frosh courses in content and material covered. Perhaps so (though it depends on the specific college and course – best for the student with AP credit to check the college’s old final exams to see if s/he knows the content and material). But they are generally run as high school courses rather than college courses. So it is not surprising that some students who took high school AP courses struggle in actual college courses, whether they start in more advanced courses or repeat their AP courses, since they may not have internalized the self-motivation necessary in college courses.</p>