There's absolutely no field of knowledge that you couldn't teach yourself about. The benefits of a university have nothing to do with being a monopoly on knowle

There's absolutely no field of knowledge that you couldn't teach yourself about. The benefits of a university have nothing to do with being a monopoly on knowledge, because nowadays such a thing doesn't exist. The benefits, in my opinion, include: 1. Credentialing. I believe this is the number one reason people go to college today. Not to learn, but to obtain a degree that proves some indefinable quality about yourself - that you have a certain level of competence, are persistent, etc. I've heard it described as a "social signalling ritual." 2. Mentorship. If you work closely with a good professor, you can get a lot out of it. I'm a member of a research lab and have weekly meetings with my advisor; these meetings usually devolve to picking his brain for career advice. Also, when you self-teach, it's harder to know when you're wrong than when you have someone to tell you. 3. Perseverance. 4 years can be a hell of a long time. Of course, no one actually signs up for a "random class" - you're not throwing darts at a course catalog or anything. If you're really interested in something, take a class in it. That's the only way to figure out which classes are worth taking and which ones aren't. I will, however, point you to this pg essay on which subjects are worth studying [1] that I really enjoyed. My favorite part: "Yes, of course, you'll learn something by taking a psychology class. The point is, you'll learn more by taking a class in another department." One last thing: look through the list of departments. Look at and consider every department before you decide which one you want to spend time in. As a Biology student, looking back, I think Biological Engineering would've been a lot cooler to study, but now I'm not in a position to switch. [1] http://www.paulgraham.com/college.html http://www.paulgraham.com/college.html