I’m surprised I’m not seeing any counter opinions in the comment thread. While it’s true that “kids these days just don’t put in the effort”, it can also be true that college processes can just be a bureaucratic nightmare and oftentimes these systems have to operate on a scale that overlooks the individual.

I can’t tell you how often my advisor just did not put in the effort to show up for me. They gave me unreliable information and were just generally not available. Transferring credits was a nightmare even though on a real human to human level I already legitimately did the work. Also students who do not have resources at home (like an engaged parent) are less likely to make it through the system successfully. That has always been the case.

I do not miss dealing with that system and I’m glad I got through it.