That's where I see it differently: I started college back when, then returned much later to finish my degree, and found that the students were somewhat more mature. They kind of had to be, what with everything (admissions standards, tuition costs, housing costs, managing social media presence) in life getting harder. People in their 30's back in the '90s had more breathing room to fuck around, and still do okay. The difference isn't really that profound, and for the most part people then were a lot like people now.