There is a difference between education and academics.
Education is a training of the mind in “how to think”, while academics is a study of thoughts.
From a theological perspective, we all need education. We might use academics to learn from past experience, so as to avoid mistaken ideas in our practice. In that context, a college training can provide outstanding academics and in some cases, that academia is useful in furthering our education.
Nearly, if not all the Ivy League schools were originally founded based upon promoting theological studies as a mechanism to further education, or “how to think”. Today those same institutions have removed themselves from even believing about God, drifted only into academia as a counterfeit substitute for education, and now are challenged to even compete academically.
The remarks you make about education and learning “how to think” is why I homeschooled my daughter. She got a basic Classical education. I started out with “The Well Trained Mind.” She has also taken online college classes with the college founded by the Homeschooling Legal Defense Association, Patrick Henry. Christ centered college level courses are very important to me.
The public schools all the way to colleges actually DISCOURAGE critical thinking skills. Another reason to look for alternative routes that bypass colleges today.