I was taught (for better or worse), by STEM grad parents no less, that the only college to strive for is an elite liberal arts education, and the purpose was to broaden my horizons and make connections. It explicitly wasn't to decide on a career and learn hard job skills.
My teachers at my liberal arts focused high school definitely were more of your opinion of "broadening your horizons" and "being an educated member of the community"
My argument is mainly that not enough people know what they're getting into they take 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars in loans to get a degree
This can be good advice, unless you ultimately think you will really want a STEM career. You will ultimately spend an extra couple of years playing class catch up.