Like many things, the quality and value of your education is not only a function of the institution you attend, but also of your goals, drive, and temperament.

Like many things, the quality and value of your education is not only a function of the institution you attend, but also of your goals, drive, and temperament. If your goal is to simply obtain a degree so that you can get a job with your credential, then school might do little to further your useful education. If your goal is to learn how to solve problems, to learn to think critically, to gain fundamental understanding of difficult concepts, to grapple with how much is not known, and to meet like-minded people, then a university can be a great setting to achieve these goals, with the resulting credential simply acting as a by-product of your education. School is a tool, just like everything else. It's all what you make of it.