It will be interesting to see how those that return to college feel about that choice after they complete college. They'll have both experiences under their belt and be in the best position to see the relative value of each, at least in their atypical order.

Many instructors say more experienced students are more focused than those that enter college right away. That will factor in as well. There are no simple answers to this question, except that pushing everybody to do things one particular way is probably unjustified.