Exactly. The value is the other students. That's certainly the factor that influenced my experience more than any other.

The author may have a point about universities being overpriced, but he missed a pretty key point, so his analysis is suspect.

The cohort there is different.

If you want to network in your industry, it's probably just best to get some small job in whatever industry your interested in, go to the local ___ industry club, (Linux user groups, iphone developer groups, mechanics'r'us, etc), make friends and teach yourself. I found doing that helped my carreer more than local college buddies who didn't have much in the form of connections or experience anyway.

There's something to be gained by networking outside your industry. Not all great ideas exist within the group. Artists talking to coders talking to scientists talking to historians produces connections that may go unnoticed.

What if you're in a field where teaching yourself is not much of an option unless you're exceptionally dedicated and have very few distractions?