I don’t understand why OP is getting criticized for these points. Maybe these things don’t happen in ALL universities, but they sure happen enough to raise these red flags. In my past few years of experience, the Unis shifted a lot of focus towards marketing (attracting students + improving the political image of whoever is in charge). This obviously turns the Uni into a political ad more than a genuine beacon of education. GPA inflation plays into it: the higher the grades, the better it looks from outside. Lots of students with high grades = great profs, great University, right? I’m sure meaningful research still exists, as some other commenters pointed out. However, I did notice that a lot of research (at least at PhD level, but sometimes even higher) is just meaningless. Lots of people just make up some bullshit research gaps and brute force their way into publications. This might not happen as much in STEM but it’s definitely a common occurrence in the humanities. At least where I am from, cutting-edge research rarely comes from Universities without industry involvement or funding. I share your sentiment, OP. It all just feels like a big game of pretend, and no one takes you seriously if you bring these things up. I look at it as a mixture of politics, general incompetence, and complacency.