Is university one big party or does it provide anything more?

I think for an enormous percentage of the university population it is. It is a party full of incompetent half wits... but there are always exceptions to the rule. As a mature student there's a great deal more to gain, you've just got to be tolerant of the halfwit party bumbling around you.

i think uni is a realy good experience, it isnt just providing learning but its a good environemt for students to learn to live by them selves and to budget. Uni provides a safe environment for people to discover who they really are and to become independant. our current schooling system aims to make students feel that they couldnt survive in the real world and so for many uni is a chance to learn how to be independant and self sufficient. yes, a lot of partying does happen but thats only the half of it.

PARTAYYY!!

yupyupyup

I think certainly in the UK it is just a big party (and was even 10 years ago). With most courses having AT MAXIUMUM 3 hours lectures a day what can you expect?
Why not just compress a 3 year course at 14 hours a week into a 1 year course at 40 hours a week? Would get students used to the normal working week hours, cost less, and produce qualified graduates much quicker ...