It doesn't have to be this way. I've looked at the French university system and it makes sense. Unfortunately, with the Barcelona agreement, they are switching

It doesn't have to be this way. I've looked at the French university system and it makes sense. Unfortunately, with the Barcelona agreement, they are switching from the pretty decent system they have to the anglo-saxon model. If you are unfamiliar you are given a license? for each year you complete. So you would receive Bac+1, Bac+2, and a Bac+3 is the equivalent of bachelors. Employers specify how much time and which degrees they are looking for when you apply for work. I've seen some only require a Bac+1 and a few want a Bac+3. This is completely unlike the US model where if you are 1 or 2 semesters away from receiving a degree (I'm sure some of you have a few friends like this) you are only a highschool graduate no matter how much time you've invested at the university. Also, I'm a 6-year grad, 1 was working, 1 was cooping, 4 were actual university time. My final year was a straight year (May-May) of school. It was hard, physically, because during the summers my school tried to cram an entire semester (4 months) into 4 weeks. While this looked doable on paper you end up chewing through a lot of material, disregarding it, and then repeat the following week. I remember nothing from my summer courses. If your schedule didn't mesh perfectly with the courses then you might have to wait a year until a required course becomes available again. I pushed, shoved and begged my way into every class my final year. Because I wasn't an athlete or honor student I had to wait for enrollment. This wasn't my timeline, just the realities of the university system. Knowing that I would be kicking around campus until spring made me desperate. Universities have been kicking around the 3 year degree for years and decades. Until they, fundamentally, change how courses are distributed, how schedules are dictated this thing doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell of gaining any traction. I've heard the same thing for years, 3 years means less pressure on classes, less cost, and the continuous use (no breaks) of knowledge. But the reality is whether you do it during the fall or the spring, the costs are still the same. Comparatively, it's more expensive since summer courses usually max out at 12 credit hours while a normal semester can go to 18 at the same price. Fewer courses are offered, during the summer and the ones that are available are generally freshman, sophomore courses. If you are an upperclassman there is very little for you except a few uni requirements. College shouldn't take 3 or 4 years. It should be a continuous thing with clearly defined goals. That way someone shouldn't have to be on the line for a 4 year degree. If they happen to find a job that only needs 2 or 3, instead of the nebulouse "some college", then they should feel confident in applying because the employer can gauge their level of education fairly.