I went from high school to college to law school with no time in between. A mistake, in retrospect. I think a year or so of work (or a 2 year stint in the military) in between high school and college is preferred and adds a LOT of maturity in a relatively short time.
Further, I think a lot of the liberal mindset that passes for critical thinking at colleges passes the smell test of relatively naive children (and lets be honest, the typical college student these days is still a 'child' in many ways). The same stuff wouldn't pass the smell test of even a slightly more seasoned young adult who took a year off to work at a crappy, dead-end job, or served in the armed forces.
My son got his bachelors in Japanese Studies 3 years ago Joined the AF and got an AA in Korean. He's now a translator. 15 months to go and then he will go to a Japanese University for his Masters. Paying for it himself. he still laughs at his peers at the UofA taking Art History....."Majoring in starvation" as he puts it.