I went to college for something else as a backup plan. I asked some of my friends who studied aviation what they learned in four years that isn't covered in the normal Commercial, instrument, and instructor training, and they said not much. Comparing knowledge base, what I learned in 6 months of doing the European ATPLs seems to be more in-depth in many subjects than what is covered in a 4 year university aviation program, but your results will vary from program to program. One of my friends wishes that he studied something different like business or economics.