One of the things that I've known for years but has become increasingly evident is that there's the social nature of academia and then there's academics.

We live in the age of the net. Knowledge is out there for the taking. Communities of people? Different thing entirely. Physical communities of people have value.

So when we say "college", we can either mean learning that knowledge and skill which will prepare you to begin really learning in the real world, or we can mean a place you go to appear smart, hang out with famous people, and make friends that can do you favors somewhere down the road.

We use "college" to mean both things, but more and more these are vastly different concepts. As students, it's probably important to understand whether your goal is to position yourself to actively engage in a discipline, or position yourself to actively engage in a community.

It's important to know that because most elite colleges are starting to look pretty generic in terms of politics, philosophy, and worldview. Either it's worth all of that money to hang out with the right people, or you're better off picking up classes at the community college for your undergrad and then taking a look again at where you are.