The problem is, existing 3 year degrees in America are compressed 4 year degrees. America should ditch gen-ed at the same time (as switching to 3-year).
Yeah, and a lot of that is based on baby boomer (and older) nostalgia that sees college as a place to acquire a broad education and to 'find yourself.' In other words, its completely unsuitable to a world of student loan debt that is spiraling out of control.
I just think college should be about finishing at your own pace and dealing with the consequences. If you finish in 3, you bust your ass and miss a lot of social interactions / lazy days (which are good). If you finish in 5, you take on more debt (potentially).
Both, but I don't think you can realistically ignore the problems of student loan debt these days. The less time you spend in college, the less debt you'll accumulate.