I remember being interested at first. A few even had some interesting writing. But as the years passed, it was all the same. I would anxiously open the article expecting some little gem that would excite me. That happened less and less. It got to where I couldn't even finish an article anymore they were so mind numbingly boring. Regarding it being the same as a college education--no. No one ever graduated from first grade.
And the few times they did get interesting or deep, everyone walked around panicked and confused. "This lesson was sooo deep! I barely understood it. I had to read it four times! I still don't understand it." It was like a bunch of babies, only they were adults. Everyone hated the book on Daniel, it was too deep and hard to understand. How many times did they have to study Revelation Climax? Yet they STILL complained. The 2 Isaiah's prophecy books were absolutely unreadable. My eyes would glaze over. I started missing those book studies.
I did like Daniel's prophecy though. There was quite a bit of history in it. It was probably skewed, but history still interested me. It made everyone else stamp their feet. It's not all inaccurate history either. I remember an exam question I hadn't really studied for, (I always got A's, but sometimes she'd throw in a zinger) but it had been something covered in the Daniel book. It was an essay question and I simply retold it as I had learned at bookstudy. I got full credit and the comment Excellent with the reaffirming "!" . So it wasn't completely without value. This was college last fall.
I wasn't in danger of that happening too often. The R&F couldn't handle it. Who can blame them? They are exhausted and stretched beyond what a human can do. Making them think is just cruel.
NC