In today's Washington Post: Colleges Weighing 3-Year Degrees to Save Undergrads Time, Money. The article talks about how several American colleges are considering degree programs that take just three years to complete, not the customary four. The cost of a college education might thus be slashed by 25 percent.
But Justin Guiffre, a 19-year-old sophomore at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., cautions, "A three-year program could be appropriate for students who demonstrate commitment, academic excellence and maturity."
Maturity, self-control, and the ability to put off the immediate gratification of urges are excellent predictors of academic success (even more so than I.Q. — see Don't Eat the Marshmallow!, particularly the part about the research of Angela Lee Duckworth). They are rough synonyms of commitment, since that word implies being able to keep one's eyes on the ball for extended periods, until a difficult goal is achieved. So "students who demonstrate commitment, academic excellence and maturity" is a phrase twice redundant ... which is fine, because redundancy is emphasis, and emphasis needs to be put on the need for maturity among young people today.
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