While your school may have had that in their 4-year process, many do not and follow the process where foundation is in the second year like I described. The graduates from those programs are successfully having design careers.
The need to live and breath design in your entire life is an unneeded cliche. We are not special. And that extra year will not make you more special. And there is absolutely nothing in that extra year you couldn’t accomplish while working. This thread started out of concern for the cost of school, so again, why pay for a year you don’t need?