[netcan]

Ambitious. Probably completely overreaching and doomed to failure. Small chance of a wonderful success. Good luck.

" In my mind higher education should be almost exclusively about academics. I’m looking for an affordable degree program that is academically rigorous, and provides me the opportunity to challenge myself and not be restricted to the 10 or 12 classes available in a major."

For someone with these kinds of goals, I think the best perspective is to think of universities as cultural institutions, like marriage. The institution allows young people 3-4 years to spend on education, experimenting with their personality, etc.

Peers are important from that context as are mentors.