Colour me cynical, but shock horror, research from major U.S. Aviation Universities finds having attended them makes you a better pilot.
Of course, I am arse about face in that I now realise for further professional development, some form of degree in the subject area is essential, but I'm not sure how it correlates with flying ability. Perhaps it just means you're more of an aerosexual and thus likely to work harder, or have a better technical underpinning allowing you to focus more on other areas of the training you're struggling with.