First... yes... Cornell is absolutely gorgeous (as people from Ithaca would proudly tell you, for two meanings).
And, no, undergrad., or any type of education does not depend on the apperance of the campus. However, I don't quite agree with the statement "The point is you go in, get your degree, then get out and live a better life", as I believe that such view trivilize the importance of the education itself by debasing it to a method that gives one a chance for "betterment", either in wealth or fame. I think that the value of education, as a process, or rather, as an end upon itself, ought to be cherished. It is exactly the learning itself, rather than the provacative consequences that follows, that ought to be valued.
Of course... these are only statements from a hopeless idealist... pay no heed if it bothers you.
