“In the US, the “college experience” has been around for a few hundred years, and has survived past pandemics, world wars, a major depression and a few recessions.”
Well the residential college/dorms are actually being experienced by fewer and fewer people, percentage wise anyway. After you take out the freshman that are at community colleges, part-time students, you’re left with around 50-55% of freshman. Of those, the research has shown that about half at private colleges are on-campus and only 40% of public college freshman students are on campus. Meaning, maybe 25% of freshman in US colleges actually have the college experience, being on-campus at university-owned housing. And the numbers are less for second-years.