You're certainly correct about learning from each other, but I think it went beyond the cross-pollination of ideas. I took several higher level courses in other

You're certainly correct about learning from each other, but I think it went beyond the cross-pollination of ideas. I took several higher level courses in other departments that were intended for majors in the other department, yet attracted students from across the university. They were always more lively than the homogeneous courses, introductory courses, and "bird courses". I am bringing that up because a lot of universities mandate interdisciplinary courses, yet sabotage their value by letting students limit themselves to introductory courses or even offer special courses directed towards non-majors. Students frequently attend those courses for an easy A, but never let their preconceptions be challenged or bothered to challenge the ideas of others. (That said, I don't really blame students for treating universities as vocational schools. I'm pretty sure the ones who went straight for the grades found more success in their professional life simply because they didn't let intellectual curiosity interfere with their professional goals.)