"Why Can’t Everyone Get A’s? Excellence is not a zero sum game." NYT op-ed

For the record, one does not need to “be a Euler” to get an A in college calculus. It is considered a prerequisite (i.e. you don’t get degree credit for it) in many math, CS and physics degree programs. Many students take one or more semesters of Calculus in high school and some will repeat it in college to make sure they know it cold. This would be a more plausible explanation for a high percentage of A’s in a class. Most people (especially math department heads) know that these days “Euler type” students don’t take Calculus in college, they take it in middle school (or sooner). (Euler enrolled at the University of Basel at the age of thirteen.)