> just gaming the tests the best they could

I am a recent grad and have lots of friends still in university. That really just describes a lot of students in general. We had resumes to build outside of class, so yeah, a lot of us are just reading past tests, memorizing the answers, pouring the answers back onto the test, and repeating for the next course.

I certainly would have considered dev degree were I applying today, but I am sure that I would treat that degree as no more than a credential to be won.