Perhaps you shouldn&#x27;t extrapolate your experience to that of students at MIT (or other universities outside of your country you&#x27;ve not attended, for that matter)?<p>I&#x27;m in the U.S., and I can tell you that having gone to a good, but regular state university for undergrad, and then to much more prestigious university for grad school, the difference between the two was striking.  I went from being one of the smarter students in the class, to one of the least smart (or at best, the middle).  I expected this university to be better, but it was quite a shock just how much better it was.<p>Is it possible that what they teach at MIT might go beyond the &quot;trivia&quot; or rote memorization that you describe being taught at your country&#x27;s schools?