It really depends on their field of study. I studied Mechanical Engineering, which was very intense. I also studied International Studies, which was actually very easy. Even the Engineering program, which is hard, did not seem as hard as my friends who were in the Architecture department. In short, some of us study a lot. College in the US is considered very difficult by global standards (which is why the top colleges are in the US and the UK). Even so, not every field of study has the same level of difficulty. BUT! Don't tell someone that their Bachelor's Degree was easy to get. People get very offended by that even if it's true ;P

I can say this much. IF YOU LOOK FOR IT, you will find that many U.S. colleges and universities actually say somewhere that students are expected to spend 2 to 3 hours in outside preparation as they spend in class. A "normal course load" is four or five subjects, that meet three times, sometimes only twice a week, for an hour. So, a normal load is 10-15 hours, multiply that by 2.5 for homework, and you get a grand total of maybe 35-42 hours. In other words, something like a normal work week. MIT, where I went to school, was unusual in listing three numbers for every course: lecture, lab, and outside prep. So, a course listed as "3-0-6" meant an easier course where you were expected to put in 6 hours' homework, and "3-0-9" meant a harder one, where you were expected to put in 12. I think a "40-hour week" (for both class and homework) is a reasonable ballpark figure. Of course some students put in MUCH less, and some put in MUCH more. Harvard University, which presumably sets high expectations, says this: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/womswim/recruiting/myths.html "A normal course load is four courses of three one-hour classes per week (12 hours of class each week). Most students spend one and a half to two hours in work outside of class for each hour of class." That works out to a total of 30 to 36 hours grand total.

It's a very different mode. There seem to me much more contemplation and analysis in Europe and the US. There is more visible enjoyment of intellectual life. Many have an active social and sporting life as well Quite a few participate in community service and political or civic life. Intellect and rigour are often respected. A university education is not often seen or expected to be vocational training. It's truly a different world.

Thank you for all your advice

In my observation, I think it depends on the course or major that the student is taking. It is the student's option if he/she wants to study just a two-year program or a full four year course. I know several college students and they opt to study just a two-year course because some of them wants to start working right away.