[csa]

> This means they are able to cover more, and go deeper in to the subject because there is no time "wasted" educating an "average" student.

Sort of.

Even in a class of motivated and gifted learners, there are some learners who are more motivated and/or gifted.

One of the most frustrating experiences for me at Ivy schools was having to slow the discussion down for the less-talented folks. Don't get me wrong, they were still (mostly) smart and knowledgeable, but there was a palpable difference in discussions that accommodated the slower people and those that didn't (e.g., office hours, some seminars, informal round tables, etc.).

In short, and imho, there is still time "wasted" educating an "average" student at these schools, it's just that the "average" is usually quite a bit higher.