You've obviously never been to a Korean university. The orgy part is less prevalent but certainly not the drunkenness and laxidasical attitudes. I went to both a US university and a Korean one and the work ethic of American university students is much more sturdy than Korean university students. The difference between Asia and the US (one of them) is that Asian students bust their backsides to get into school while the Americans busy their asses once in school. I'm generalizing of course, but at least in Korea, getting into a top school is more important than what you do once you're there. There's a reason that so many Asians want to go to US schools -- and it isn't for the basketball teams-- the quality is much much higher in the States (and UK) than Asia.
I know that people do study and learn things at university in the US, but culturally we tend to elevate going to a 'party school' above going to a school that is known to deliver a good education.
That may be the anecdotal truth, however nearly any student in the States would prefer to go to MIT or U of Chicago over San Jose State, though San Jose is far more of 'party school' than the aforementioned. Students do care about quality but a party school doesn't necessarily equate to a less serious school. The issue isn't party vs. academics it's about work-life balance. Medical students party very profoundly, however there's no doubt that they value their academics highly. As a current high school teacher, I have nearly daily conversations about college choices and the party aspect is way down on the list. Given a choice between a party school and a top-flight academic institution, nearly all of my admittedly small sample would pick the better academics. Of course, I admit to some selection bias because I'm an AP teacher and my students are far more driven than the 'typical' student.
