Bleh, the XP bonus should just be removed and the whole process should be made quicker. The game suffers because new players have to deal with a massive stats disadvantage for 40 hours as well as the skill disadvantage.
The XP Bonus is just a classic case of veteran players agreeing that the grind to 30 sucks, but refusing to ease that grind for new players. "We suffered through it, so should they!"
Hell, the established players generally have more tolerance for the grind, since we can get kills at earlier levels and have better gear. If anything, there should be an XP bonus for new players.