FWIW even in a standard university ~20 years ago I saw an enormous difference in motivation levels between students who were really paying for themselves (as in

FWIW even in a standard university ~20 years ago I saw an enormous difference in motivation levels between students who were really paying for themselves (as in they were fronting money every semester) vs. those who were not (or it was all funny money at the time which they'd pay years later). I had a few friends in school who transferred in from CC. They weren't in CC because they were poor students (quite the opposite!) but simply because that's all they could afford, and this provided an opportunity to work towards greater scholarships and such to supplement their jobs and allow them to go to the 4-year. These were the most motivated students I came across in my time.