I read their first article back in 1986, where they begudgingly andmitted that some college would be OK. They emphasized two year vocationally oriented programs. So, through the process of elmination, I would say that anything that was not related to a technical-practical training would be frowned upon. Areas like computer science, chemistry, etc would be alright. Subjects like art, psychology etc. would be too worldly. That's how I interprete them.
I would agree with you. My son went to a nearby university (stayed on campus). The official view was that it was a personal choice. But several brothers strongly told me that he was wrong, and that by his choice of learning - he was out "to make a name for himself."
In other words, something you could make money at - ok. Something you could make money at and get a reputation for achievment - no.
I never had the disapproval problem with sisters, however. Brothers seemed to be quite vocal with their official opinion - no matter what the society actually wrote - we were "supposed" to know what to really do.