All their lives kids are taught they need good grades to get into a good college so they can have a successful life (ie make a lot of money). Once they get into college, they have the same problem if they need a post graduate degree for their career.

Why is anyone surprised that students tend to favor classes they get higher grades in. You can say modern students are wimps but it is the fault of the culture if the problem is endemic.

I read somewhere, (maybe a different blog about the same article? ) that the problem is grade inflation in the other subjects. The students get better grades in non-science subjects so they major in the subjects that give them positive reinforcement and don't major in subjects that give them negative reinforcement.

Part of the problem is that as a society we tend to measure the worth of people in numbers like grade point average and net worth, rather than in personal qualities or abilities.