[acheong08]

Yes and no.

For the intended purpose of learning? Not at all. If you're legitimately interested in the subject, you'll learn more on your own.

For improving your prospects? Definitely. Say you were unlucky enough to be born in the third world. University is the easiest route into the first. I've spent almost £80k between tuition fees, rent, and living expenses over the past 3 years, all my own money from bug bounties, freelancing, and jobs/internships. I could've probably lived a comfortable life back in Malaysia with that much savings while working an average job. But the cap on my potential has definitely been raised several times that just by having a UK visa and a pathway to residency.

Also, I learnt this lesson way too late: it's not about what you know, but who you know. I wasted my first two years here mostly doing individual projects. Even though the 3rd year is the most busy, I'm making active effort now to work with professors on their projects. Some are genuinely interesting and at the same time, they have the ability to link you up with people with similar interests. If you can't seem to find people at your level IB Uni, it's because you haven't tried going the indirect route via professors. They know everyone