A lot of CUNY students I know do not have the luxury of having the so-called “College’ Experience”.
Many are working part-time while juggling their time taking classes in the CUNY schools that do not even have huge campuses like they have in the suburban areas.
These are the ones who would tend to study the non-fluff courses that get them useful jobs after they graduate.
Yes, exactly — CUNY’s Hunter campus is 2-3 city blocks square. It enrolls about 40% of the number of students that Rutgers in NJ enrolls in all of its campuses — most of which are measured in square miles.
Then again, it works because it’s in a major city, so it “outsources” a lot of things like recreation, dining, and housing to private business (landlords, groceries, restaurants) or to the city (Central Park) itself.
I don’t see the problem with giving the kind of student that goes to CUNY a bit of a leg up.