More Words, Deeper Hole

I think in BD and Zonker's case you have to argue did Walden give them the skills that they needed to survive and thrive in the world after college and in this I would say yes unlike the poor recent grad.

In their day the emphasis was still on class work not socializing even if they did more of the latter. Also the society they graduated into relied less on academic credentials for personal success.

I think Trudeau's argument is that college has explicitly become an extension of the baby sitting service that high school has become, that in BD's and Zonker's day there was an attempt to make the students adhere to an academic standard that BD ultimately failed only to face and survive greater challenges in Viet Nam and that Zonker did conquer after nine years.