I used to work with a guy that had a degree from Rensselaer. He was no smarter or more effective than the rest of us - he just had parents that could afford to send him to an elite school.
Turns out that most of what you need to know to be effective in the world is not taught in college. This guy will get just as good an education at Bama as he would at an ivy school - what he does with it depends on him. I’d much rather pay for his education than pay to provide minor league experience for some thug that knows how to run with a dead pig in his hands.
Someone somewhere impressed on me that beside an Ivy reputation, you really only need look at the size of the library for determining the quality of the university. I’d add that a conglomeration of colleges in an area also add to the size of the library.
The education you gain is not then so much from a prof as it is from your own work and research, using the resources at hand.
I took those lessons to heart. Professors tend toward fascism and socialism. They’re all tied up in the paper of their own work and egos, so, you’re basically on your own, paying through the nose-and you only have your own efforts to get your money’s worth.