No doubt we could have given a Scholarship to almost any other guy and
they would have busted their butts trying to show they deserved it.
When I started college I got an eye opener from a Instructor.
He said 'I'm not gonna spoon feed you, this isn't High School.
I'll present the information, and what you do with the info. is up to you. Whether you pass or fail is up to you.
I don't care.'
He got my attention. Half the class dropped that class the next day.
I stayed. He had a 'Hard Nosed' teaching style, and I loved it.
as a college professor who gets good evals from students, I've found that setting the standard from the beginning
for the class is paramount. Then you can deal with individuals as the class progresses. I also "present the material" in a lot of different ways (video, refresher review, in-class assignments, group assignments, etc). People learn in different ways so I try to address all of them at some level each class. It usually works out pretty well regardless of what a student makes - gradewise - in the courses I teach. But I do agree with the premise it's up to them what they do with what we work on and I show data from my prior courses that show that engagement during, before, and after the class is highly correlated with better grades. Numbers don't lie and those who just show up and listen and go home and do nothing usually get a grade that's reflective of that.
As a student at all levels, I never took a class "because a professor was easy" and, in fact, chose professors who I knew would challenge me at a high level. I also subscribe to the philosophy of "IF you're the smartest one in the room, leave and find another room." Iron sharpening iron and all that. BUT, not everyone is built like that so we have to reach them in other ways. "B's" were unacceptable to me after I figured out what I was doing in college (around my 2nd sophomore semester) but that meant I had to double down on my efforts at every level. Most of my current students work 25+ hours a week and take 9-15 credit hours - something I never had to do. So, I take that into consideration while still expecting and holding a high standard. Again, the outcomes usually show it's working out. I also wasn't cradled my whole life or groomed to do one thing or told I was great every day -- if ever.
Regardless of all that, if you just stop showing up for class, refuse to talk to counselors or coaches, NO MATTER THE CAUSE, I really don't know what else can be done. Sometimes you have to suffer consequences before realizing you're an adult when you enter college even if you don't act like one. The current nonsense of "I'm going to enter the portal if I don't get my way here" isn't helping.