I agree with the benefits you've mentioned, I think right now I'm just bitter. I would think a liberal arts school, particularly Clark, would offer a significantly different experience than the one I received. As well, I think I would enjoy a practical program like the one your wife is going through. That is clearly learning tangible skills valuable in the real world.

I think my largest frustration is that the purpose of school, in my humble opinion, is to educate students. To get information (a liberal definition of information capabilities, skills, networks, etc.) from textbooks and professors and extracurricular programs, and cram into the students head in a way that leaves them capable of using it in the future. The purpose of an education is to educate. It killed me to find out that this was hardly the first priority. Somethings are done right, many more wrong, but the bottom line and priorities of the school I attended seemed off. (I was at McGill University by the way)