3- year college is an increasing trend in recent American Higher Education. In an recent article in Newsweek titled “The 3 year solution” explores this trend. Some small colleges are beginning to offer 3 year degree programs. This is especially attractive to prospect students because they are able to save a full semester of tuition. However, this deprives the students of a full 4 years of fun, sports, and the college experience. Students who participates in the 3 year program would have to take a bit more courses per year than regular college students. This is a play for colleges to adept to changing times. However with age rules and tenure programs this makes college flowing with changing times difficult.
What does this mean for college students? This suggests that college is now more affordable then ever. With more choices on how college life should be like. The 3 year college system seems to be just like an intensified version of a Georgia Tech education; just with less time to explore area of interest. Both educations aims at educating a students one specific area usually their major and not a general education offered by many other schools. It seems that every college is now attempting to offer a Georgia Tech education. They offer specification of an area or major resulting in a specialist rather than a jack of all trades. As more and more college jump on this bandwagon, this means that future college graduates will be more job or major specific. For example, even within Computer Science majors here at Georgia Tech there are 8 different threads where students can choose 2 focuses to combine into a major. This aims at becoming more diversity of education even though it is only one major. This also suggests that colleges will offer more and more specific programs as a counter measure to the changing times.
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