College, and going to school in general, isn't just about taking classes. Getting the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of people helps broaden enriches their education and is great preparation for the "real world."

While some of this interaction could be moved online, I suspect that it would make it easier for people to seek out people that are similar to them since they're not being thrown into a environment where you would have to see your classmates every day whether you find them agreeable or not.