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<p>I disagree. I believe that colleges consider the motivation and drive of an applicant than any level of preparation they received in high school. AP and IB courses don’t measure up to the level of even college Freshman survey courses. If anything, I think that those who learned in a sheltered, educationally abundant environment are more likely to suffer in the ‘sink-or-swim’ schools. ‘Hard work’ comes from more than just academics, and in my opinion, the ability to perform well in spite of of your given surrounding is much more admirable. </p>
<p>Grade inflation may be a problem. But if your high school really, really does suck, the colleges probably don’t know about it.</p>