Right, it will never get to the point of an open auction. Then it altogether stops being functional (learning skills & networking) and starts being solely art (

Right, it will never get to the point of an open auction. Then it altogether stops being functional (learning skills & networking) and starts being solely art (aesthetics and marketing). Currently, it's a mixture of the two, with aesthetics pulling ahead rather quickly - is what you learned or who you met in Philosophy 101 $100k more important to you today than it would have been to you 10 years ago? There is some behind-closed-doors deal making going on, but that has always happened and will always happen.