This is actually pretty uniquely American. In Australia, for example, the major universities are within the major cities, often downtown; there are hardly any "

This is actually pretty uniquely American. In Australia, for example, the major universities are within the major cities, often downtown; there are hardly any "university towns." As such, there's no real need to move out of parents' home if they live in the city, parents generally are more adaptive and respect the autonomy of their now adult children even if they're still living upstairs. Obviously this dramatically lowers the costs of university. In addition, there's a higher concentration of jobs available to work while you study in major cities, instead of just hanging out in dorms or frat houses playing video games with all your free time like many American students do. Juggling these responsibilities while studying and being close to your family will make one "grow up" and develop a solid work ethic much quicker than the extended summer camp that often American universities become. Sports are handled by amateur leagues abundant in the cities, not affiliated and part of universities. Not really the tribalism you see with big American schools amongst alumni either, not like what I grew up with in Texas, which is really off-putting and absurd. Overall, I think both systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but I think the Australian way is just healthier for everyone.