I think colleges have purposefully positioned themselves as they are today as a business strategy, specifically ivy leagues or top tiers.
They know nearly all information is online now and taught even more effectively in many cases. And once inferior colleges and professors can also harness this and compete on near even footing on the knowledge front. That was not the case just 15 years ago.
So they now lean into an area that they think the internet and those who harness it cannot compete. They lace every discipline with philosophy and sell it as an ivy league education. But really they're just bamboozling people with an inferior education and destructive cognitive habits.
These will be immensely valuable forever as long as they keep the club largely exclusive. Everything else is just noise.
Never once did I lever this relationship or any others I have. I think the network thing is overrated. Wealthy and connected people mostly want to be left alone and very rarely do favors for people not independently at their level.
Also I’m trying to think how many close friends I kept from college or even in contact with. I think maybe 5 and none of them were well off or connected.
But yes, that is part of what is sold as well. Or at least the idea of it. There’s no question about that.