By college, I think it's less important to be surrounded by brilliant people and more important to be surrounded by people who want to learn.
I should say up front that I chose my college based on the free ride they were offering, and not particularly for any of the reasons that it turned out to be the perfect place for me.... But what you say here, Kriston, is absolutely spot on in my experience. I took it to extremes, and went to a state school that catered heavily toward back-to-school adults -- second careers and "retired" homemakers in particular. And it was the absolute best set of peers I'd ever had. They were
very serious students, had a lot of life experience to draw on, and could discuss any topic indefinitely. It was also a very urban school, and for my major (medical anthropology) that was an excellent thing -- very much not an ivory tower of anything.
There were degree areas that it might not have been too good for, but for mine it was better than anything I've seen since and I wish I'd stayed there for grad school. I might actually have gotten my dissertation done there and had a sensible committee to see me through it!
Anyway my sister (who went to a SPLA school) still looks down her nose at it, but I've never had an employer who cared. And I don't have much awe for the pricier institutions. You can have a great department in an unremarkable school or a terrible department in a famous school. Some of the more famous schools are great in certain areas, but if those aren't your areas they won't do you a bit of good.
