Arnold Anthony Schmidt: Taking longer to complete college not a sign of sloth

People criticize students for spending more than four years to complete college. Critics argue that earlier generations finished schooling in four years, and fault today’s students for taking longer. Skyrocketing college costs account for part of that delay, but student demographics have also changed. More people, from a broader section of society, now attend college. But this positive trend has delayed so-called “time to completion.”

In years past, many students, typically 18-22 years old, took classes full time. While some certainly had responsibilities beyond the classroom, most could focus primarily on classes and graduate in four years.

Today, the democratization of higher education means that more people take classes, some the first in their families to attend college. Others are older, returning students. Many of today’s students have outside significant responsibilities beyond class, working full-time jobs and caring for children and older relatives.

Naturally, working students with families take fewer classes per semester. They work hard to complete their degrees, though perhaps not as quickly as earlier generations. Instead of criticizing today’s students for not finishing in four years, we should applaud them for the great efforts they make toward completing college.

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Arnold Anthony Schmidt: Taking longer to complete college not a sign of sloth."