Most received the Fields Medal or Turing Award are not "the common student who is not going to be a PhD" so you and GP agree on the importance of universities in that regard. In general I read what they say as solely relating to what I'd categorize as "undergrad or non-specialized track students".

I agree with you there is a lot universities have to offer students though. Your examples of equipment are a great highlight. On the other hand I think when you weight the ever growing cost of attendance with the amount of unique values provided it has been shrinking quite a bit, in favor of the "not providing much value" side. This is especially true for the relative lack of unique values brought for the vast majority of students during the first ~2 years of general education. It's difficult or impossible to get many of these organizations to let you just jump in at that point though.

Overall I think, for many at least, the biggest value is an environment which helps guide them to doing the self learning. Many (most?) can't just sit down to write and then follow their own multi year study plan and end up with something comparable to what they'd get out of going to a university, even if they end up spending the majority of their time there self learning. GP may well not be part of that group but I'm not sure their conclusions apply to those who are.

> Except for medical students, who require a teaching hospital and all its equipment.for their education

They're not really students in the normal sense, they fit more into the PhD category that I mentioned, since they need actual personal help.

> Except for EE and other engineering students, who require lab and other equipment for their education

I have an engineering master's from a world famous university where the lab work was pretty pointless. It didn't count for much if at all, and was more or less just entertainment.

If you were doing a PhD, you would do experiments where the outcomes were not a foregone conclusion. In undergrad, it's not any different from baking a cake, it ain't gonna go any differently than expected.

I suspect you'll learn more watching a video of someone doing the experiment, that way you are not concerned with trivialities like converting units and wearing safety goggles. Something like what NileRed does for chemistry.

> Even for fields that require no specialized facilities, frankly, I don't see any Fields Medal or Turing Award winners that are self-taught nor do I have any reason to expect to see any in my lifetime.

Well, that level of work requires a personal contact, like a PhD advisor. I am addressing undergrad work, which is fairly ordinary material that has already been well digested.

> I have an engineering master's from a world famous university where the lab work was pretty pointless. It didn't count for much if at all, and was more or less just entertainment.

For me personally, having a maker space and access to expensive equipment was how I learned to do useful things as an electrical engineer. Was it entertaining? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. In fact, the things I’ve had the easiest time learning were things I’ve done because they were inherently enjoyable.