Having been on both sides of the coin - did my undergrad at a satellite commuter campus of a public institution, and currently doing my PhD at a top 10 school -

Having been on both sides of the coin - did my undergrad at a satellite commuter campus of a public institution, and currently doing my PhD at a top 10 school - there is a stark difference. During undergrad I just made the assumption that 'math is math' and I can learn the same concepts anywhere. However, there is a large difference and it's not because top institutions necessarily have the benefit of rubbing shoulders with elite. - Having TAed for a few undergrad classes, the workload and class speed is much higher. - The student projects (labs) are much more involved to the point where a 4th year student will often have the tools necessary to assist in PhD research efforts. - The teachers at the commuter school were much better at stepping through the material so it's easily understood. While here the TAs are much more responsible for expanding and clarifying the theory in recitations. - Soooo much more group work at the top university. Whether it's 'official' or not, students clump together to help get through the material. At the commuter school, people were more often just waiting to go home. There's some difference here since I'm not comparing a traditional university experience to a top tier experience, but if anything it's very clear to me that 'math isn't just math' between two schools.