It's going to sound condescending but I'll say it anyway: if you enjoy hanging out on HN (and you do since you are reading this), then you'll enjoy attending college because it's the only place on earth where everyone is college-level smart.
Obvious of course, but kind of true. Everywhere else (except maybe at Google), you have to deal with the uneducated masses :-)
> ... because it's the only place on earth where everyone is college-level smart.
Not true - there's plenty of places where most of the people you'll meet are quite intelligent, and not everyone in college are college-level smart. If you go to Harvard, sure, it's all fairly smart people. The average state school? Not so much.
As for places with lots of smart people, it's very worth it to go get coffee at the Ritz Carlton sometimes. It's $10 for a pot of coffee that'll serve 2-3 people, so it's only like $5 to go if you go with a friend or the girlfriend, and it's good coffee. There'll be smart people there from out of town, often having a quick bite to eat alone while reading a newspaper. Contrary to popular belief, wealthy people tend to be very friendly and approachable if you're polite, complimentary, and interested in striking up a chat - I've met a fair few intelligent people while having coffee at a nice hotel or ex-pat bar or other place like that.
If you're willing to try to charm a little bit too, you can probably talk your way into the business class/first class lounges with decent success when you're flying, and people inside tend to be a smart, a bit bored, and quite receptive to having a conversation.
There's lots of places to meet smart people. University is good for some smart people, but not all. I enjoyed some of the business and technical classes I took, but absolutely went nuts with the "general requirements" and the rote busywork it entailed.
So there's lots of places to meet smart people besides university. And seriously, I'd recommend anyone who isn't comfortable in "wealthy places" to go have a pot of coffee at the Ritz Carlton. It's $10, cheaper than a mid-end restaurant lunch. Strike up a conversation with someone. Might change your life, but at the very least you get more comfortable in the environment.
I flew first-class for the first time last year and couldn't believe what I had been missing (I always thought the best part would be the seats or service).
Before I do, let me share the general theory about life - most people are decent people and want to help you if you're nice and a decent person. They don't want to get in trouble though, so you want to make it as easy as possible for the person. So, if there's multiple people there, you have much lower odds. People want to help out, but no one wants to get reprimanded obviously.
But let's say it's one guy or girl there. You walk up, smile, greet them, ask how their day/night is going. They say good, good, maybe you smalltalk for a moment. Be as personable, friendly, and courteous as possible.
They ask for your boarding pass. You have two choices now - hand them your boarding pass and just SMILE huge, or, say something along the lines of - "Well, I'm flying Jet Blue today, but they don't have a lounge, and I always take British Airways internationally - I'd just like to grab a cup of coffee for like 20 minutes before my flight if that's cool, and I'd really appreciate it."
Which to use? Kind of a judgment call. Handing them the pass with a big, guilty smile actually works. "Go right ahead" - oh my God, I love that, I feel like James Bond if I pull that off. But I did the Jet Blue thing flying out of San Francisco - I forget what airline lounge I got into, but it was legitimately one I flew a lot. Either British Air or something Star Alliance, Jet Blue didn't have a lounge, so I just told them that and asked nicely, the girl there waived me in.
Don't take it as a given, be friendly, and remember you're asking for a favor. You're not entitled, so don't be a jerk or demanding or act like you're royalty. Helps if you're dressed well, groomed well, and speak generally upper class English - nothing snobby, stay casual, just "Good morning", "Good evening", things like that - they want it to be a nice ambiance inside, so looking like you're not going to cause problems is critical. Again, most people want to help you, but you need to make it easy for them to do so.
So, be incredibly polite and friendly, and there's a decent chance of things working out. I usually try it if I'm an hour+ early, and I don't know what my success rate is - maybe 50%? Maybe more or less. It all comes down to the individual person at the counter, how their day is going, and how full/crazy the place is. If it's not very full, they're a nice person, and having a nice day, you've got a decent shot. Can't hurt to ask, at least.
You really think Google is the only company with uniformly well-educated employees? Microsoft, Goldman, McKinsey, etc - there are plenty of companies out there where you'll smart and educated colleagues.
Obvious of course, but kind of true. Everywhere else (except maybe at Google), you have to deal with the uneducated masses :-)