For certain fields, however, college definitely does offer value beyond merely being a societal convention in which the intelligent all happen to descend upon s

For certain fields, however, college definitely does offer value beyond merely being a societal convention in which the intelligent all happen to descend upon some bucolic village for 9 months out of the year. Are you going to buy your own electron microscope? Glassware? Broker bulk deals with chemical suppliers? Can you afford an MRI? Purchase a billion different journal subscriptions at exorbitant costs? For these types of equipment it makes sense to pool together resources and achieve economies of scale, which is (beyond social mingling) where the main advantage of college lies in my view.