[BeetleB]

>What matters most is the ambiance in which the course is taught; a gifted student will thrive in the company of other gifted students.

As someone who went to both a very average university and a top ranked school, I fully agree. There were only two differences between the two:

1. The top university packed more material in a course (not a good thing, in my experience).

2. The top university had more peers which drive you to be better. This I really felt a lack of in the average university. All the motivation had to come from within, and although it was somewhat beneficial, it was also very aimless and inefficient. Synergy really is a thing.

(As an aside, the quality of instruction was not very different - perhaps slightly better in the average university. In my experience the role your peers play is much more impactful than the role your teachers play).