You mean classes like art, literature, history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and ethics? Any combination of which can be found at any non-technical school?

That's where our experiences differ. I know you're an American. I'm not. Here in post-Soviet Union territories, we have little access to humanities beyond what our profile suggests. It's all very closed-off and narrow in terms of what you get to hear. Our psychology class was devoted to mostly professional details — like, how people learn, rather than a more general perspective on how the human mind works on a day-to-day basis. Ethics? Forget it. We do have extracurricular classes on some interesting topics, granted — last year photography classes and even drama writing classes were available.

College is for building up fanciful ideas. Real life is for figuring out what actually sticks.

You're right, of course. One can't live off fanciful ideas, however. And since you're already spending so much time in the academic setting (with "academic" being a stretch for school environment, but still), might as well get to know important things if you aren't taught by the people you grow up with.

College kids get lucky because they get a few more years and a safe haven to experiment even further.

And they're still flailing wildly in the dark. I know I was, like a kid thrown into the pool, back when I was just starting the whole "higher education" ordeal. There's nothing wrong with experimenting and exploring things on your own; it's good for you. It takes personal experience to understand something well, but I think some guidance would come in very handy, especially at such a time of one's life.

Then again, I have no idea what it's like in the US, and I doubt you'd know what it's like here. Maybe you can get some counseling or ask a mentor to take you up, both of which are great opportunities.