The reason people want to go to Harvard and MIT is because it's competitive and exclusive. You can take the same courses online and buy all the same books but

The reason people want to go to Harvard and MIT is because it's competitive and exclusive. You can take the same courses online and buy all the same books but that doesn't prove you're smart and hard working enough to get into Harvard and MIT. Almost all of the value in going to Harvard over Boston community college is in the degree which proves you made it into an exclusive and competitive group.