Just compare the 2 videos below,
2.8, here the layout/modelling/sculpting/UV-edit/animation,etc workload tabs are on top (main workload context), to the top-left inside the viewport you notice object mode (that can change to mesh,mode,etc), in mesh-mode iirc the vertex/line/face selection will then appear inside the viewport to the right of the mode selector (so reading workload/mode/option goes top->down, left->right and all contained in the upper part of the UI).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILqOWe3zAbk&list=PLa1F2ddGya...
Now let's go back to 2.7, here you notice that object/mesh-mode selector (2nd level context) is at the bottom just above the timeline view.
Heck knows where the workload and vertex/line/face modes are (was it windows presents or smth like that?), but I distinctly remember being dumbfounded by their relative locations when I realized where they were when I went back to research why I hated blender previously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY6KPrc4uMw
Now if you consider that cosmetic, sure you were probably a fan from before and managed by key shortcuts, but from a general UI perspective that makes the difference from being stumped by random locations of things to being able to get things done from the get-go with previous 3d modelling knowledge without reading the entire manual.