Community College for your first 2 years is also a prudent approach. More economic, helps kids define their interests, allow time for acclimation to college life.
Excellent point. A student who is not well prepared could work and take fewer classes at a community college each semester. They could pay as much as possible, minimizing debt. This will give them time to develop the critical thinking and reasoning skills required to pass courses in majors that pay decent wages post-college. After finishing at the community college they could transfer to an accredited program at a university.
One of the hidden overhead items in “college education” is many students arrive unprepared for any rigorous programs, hence, the amount of remedial “english” AKA being able to read and “math” AKA being able to add and subtract. Pile on the now required diversity indoctrination and the costs of housing “students” in resort style dorms plus various administrators who do nothing but administrate paperwork and things have sprialled out of control. The whole system needs a reboot starting with having professors who do nothing but pontificate while they guide student proctors who actually present the programs. All this due to the guaranteed loan program.