I think it works for maker's who take a long term view of returns on social investments. Sacrificing friends of a certain quality today in order to put in the work it takes to make friends with the people one admires, but doesn't currently know, and whom can raise their stock in life, so to speak, has a higher relative return than being present with his college bar crowd. I'm not suggesting friendship should be a business move only, but that one doesn't miss out on all that much by forgoing the maintenance of superficial connections in the present to focus on their goals. Of course not all college age friendships are superficial, and some can last throughout life, but these are the minority, whereas the majority are much more ephemeral.