If you're in a place where you're surrounded by the children of the 1%, and you think that's the main issue, you're missing the point entirely. Those people may be annoying to you, but they're decidedly not the problem with higher ed. The problem with higher ed is that it aims at mediocrity, by definition not the 1%. The person who did just enough in high school to get into a reputable college and is now doing just enough to get the degree that will get them the job they're after, but who lacks any concept of intellectual curiosity is the person to whom college is cratering. That person exists in replicates in every lecture hall in America, and it's a problem of hating the game and not the player. Once we define a college degree as being necessary to maintain a middle class life, then the system will automatically cater to people who seek a middle class life, i.e. most people.

Most people are not interested in the things that make college interesting to the few people who are there just to learn. That's ok. Someone else's lack of rigor shouldn't reflect on you. You can always go the extra mile. The instructor will be happy that someone in the class cares. It's hard to keep that in mind, but it's true: you can only be you, and if you love to read books that were translated from English to German so that you can retranslate them back to English, then more power to you. But definitely recognize that most people are never going to share your passion for that. That's a good thing, because it gives you something to differentiate yourself with. Learning is personal, so always look inward. I'm not scolding, but merely relating what I've learned through many years of schooling and life.