Believe it or not, formal education and self-study aren't mutually exclusive... you can do a combination of both and benefit from the value of each style of lea

Believe it or not, formal education and self-study aren't mutually exclusive... you can do a combination of both and benefit from the value of each style of learning. One of the good things about most tertiary institutions is that you're not obliged to show up to any of the lectures, so if your preferred learning style is self-study, then you can skip the lectures and just learn the material by yourself. But you can still take advantage of aspects of formal education that are valuable for autodidacts, whether it's clear course structures, access to good professors, hanging out with smart peers (ie. learning by osmosis), access to expensive journal subscriptions, deadlines to motivate your learning, etc. Anyway I wouldn't write off school so quickly. A really motivated autodidact can use school to their advantage, instead of lamenting its obvious flaws. Study the required material, but then learn beyond the basic necessities of the course, study whatever interests you. Don't be too concerned about grades and don't bother studying just for the test. If you're learning for the love of it and for a true, deep understanding of the subject, then let me assure you that you'll have no problem passing.