I actually empathise with both arguments. I did my undergrad study "by the book", getting good grades but never investigating beyond what was required. Then I

I actually empathise with both arguments. I did my undergrad study "by the book", getting good grades but never investigating beyond what was required. Then I decided to do postgrad at the very last minute, in a fairly different field, and a whole different world opened up: suddenly I was spending ages learning about whole new branches (usually unrelated to my topic) and loving it. That period basically shaped my current career (I usually say that I did a Phd, and I wrote a thesis, and the two weren't really related). In the middle of postgrad I started lecturing, and I (somewhat hypocritically) started getting really frustrated with students who weren't interested in anything beyond the exam, particularly as I watched the curriculum get watered down to basic vocational training. I don't really have a point out of this, except that I believe it's still possible to get a lot out of university, but only if you consider it a place of learning instead of a place of teaching. You probably won't be taught much (at least where I am), but there's still plenty of smart people there who would love to help you past the edges of the official curriculum.