I don't know if this is a thing in the anglosphere but in Germany there is a saying that goes like: if it doesn't changes how you think, it can be hardly called education. Getting educated means you have to let the things you encounter change your view of the world – that doesn't mean you have to change with the wind, but if you are not an idiot you will realize the points where you just wanted something to be true vs. what might actually be the case.

In that sense, the bloke really did get an education. And of course: collegues, professors and the whole environment plays a huge role in education. I'd argue that collegues can be even more important than professors.