Was there a point in high school where you "woke up" and when was it?

I think a lot of freshmen and sophomores don't quite "get" how hard it is to be admitted to a good college. The exceptional freshmen understand this - that's why they're exceptional, they learn quickly and figure out earlier than everyone else that they have to win awards, study, take things seriously and compete.

For ordinary kids, however, it seems like they waste their first two years because they're not mature enough to understand that they have to do boring things like write essays on topics that don't interest them. They just don't care enough when they're basically still little kids in teenager bodies. By the time they're 16 or 17 it's like all these Juniors wake up with a gasp and realize there is no dress rehearsal. Or what is the average age to realize that you're basically an adult who has to think about competition?