Peter Drucker had a telling piece of (anecdotal, but telling nonetheless) evidence on the subject. After World War II, a large proportion of students at Columbi

Peter Drucker had a telling piece of (anecdotal, but telling nonetheless) evidence on the subject. After World War II, a large proportion of students at Columbia were returned veterans, thanks to the GI Bill. Most of them would not have been considered, or considered themselves, candidates for college before the war. None of them were on academic probation. Motivation and application are much more important than any hypothesized "native ability". "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" Practice.