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<p>If someone really and truly loved education, why wouldnt s/he want the best possible education that a country has to offer? You wouldnt learn as efficiently studying the material yourself as you would if taught by an expert. You wouldnt absorb as much information going at your own pace as you would if you were competing (for lack of a better word) with other people; e.g. if grades were set on a curve. So why not find the best teachers, the best peers, the best resources, and learn as much as possible? Why would an ideal lover of education not take education seriously?</p>
<p>I think the problem is that youre generalizing a bit too much. A college degree from a top university is worth much more than just bragging rights. Not everyone does it so others can be in awe of their academic prowess- not everyone does it for prestige. Some might actually do it (gasp!) for the education itself. For example, really smart people would be bored at second-tier universities. As for all the teasing about community colleges on CC, there are plenty of people on this site who have already exhausted the options at their local community college while dual-enrolled in their high schools. Others have aced over a dozen AP tests; still others have aced a dozen IB exams; still others have gotten perfect or near-perfect scores on the SAT/ACT. State schools are far too easy by comparison. How can you blame these people for wanting to be challenged in college?</p>