High school honor graduates at a rural high school in the Southeastern United States of America have not been as prepared for science classes at the college level as their teachers expected. At the study site, which is located in one rural high school, honor graduates have been struggling with their freshman college science classes although these students were honors students in their high school science classes. The purpose of this study was to understand how well prepared high school honor graduates felt upon entering college. This qualitative case study was grounded in the brain-based theory of Caine and Caine with regard to honor high school students entering college. The research question focused on the level of preparedness among honor graduates for their college science classes. Twenty high school honor students participated in semi-structured face-to-face interviews, and themes were identified through coding of the interview transcripts by case and research question. The findings revealed that high school honor graduates felt prepared for college. The findings also revealed that a rigorous and challenging curriculum is essential to prepare high school honor students for college. Teachers, administrators, professional development agencies, and other stakeholders might use these findings to better prepare teachers of honor students. Recommendations for both teachers and school administrators focused on ensuring a differentiated curriculum for honor students in high school. Implications for positive social change could include effective and efficient instructional strategies for preparing high school honor students for college science classes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]