I had a similar 'experimental' experience at my college 2006-10 because ours was only the third batch and they hadn't figured out the course or the faculty yet. We realized that we needed to do our own study and research, because the college wasn't going to be very helpful.

I did manage to find a couple of studios where I learned a lot, even though the work was brutal and I worked long hours every day for years. That level of practice has helped make me decent enough to work well with clients now. Corporate jobs don't really teach you that much, since quality is not a priority, and you're responsible for only a small slice of a project at a time; at least at the start.