Depends on the undergrad. I had a ton of interactions with top professors in undergrad because I sought it out.
Yes, because you sought it out. But consider your classmates. What's the median amount of time they spent 1:1 or in a small group (4:1 or smaller) with a 'top professor'? I would be surprised if it were more than 1 hour per week.
Also the primary benefit of Harvard vs a state school is the network effects and the credentialing of having a degree from Harvard
You've got to the core of it. The network effects and the credential are things Harvard can bestow solely because it's Harvard. The tuition fees students pay don't create the network effects. They don't create the value of the credential. These are almost solely due to the flywheel effect from the selective admissions process. Smart people want to go to Harvard because other smart people want to go to Harvard.
