I agree. I studied at Cambridge, then did my Master's elsewhere, and there is a qualitative difference between the two. The difference in the amount of work you are expected to do is vast (Cambridge was more than double the workload, on average), and the instructors drive you forward, even if it means going beyond the strict confines of what you need to know.

There's also a difference in mindset - there's an appreciation of knowledge for knowledge's sake, and there's a presumption that you can get up to speed with the basics of things quickly even if it is outside of your subject. I distinctly remember discussing calcium channels with the medical students (at an event where there was also a lot of drinking), and discussing economics with the economists.