That may have been your experience but don't expand it out to an Australia vs America thing. I'm from the US and the "Australian experience" describes my college and early 20s experience. Pre-gaming with friends, milking a few cheap drinks at bars, preferably going to a party where the drinks were either free or everyone threw a few $ in a hat to buy cheap kegs and then possibly back to someone's house for a drink or smoke to close out the night. Most people I have met since had similar experiences with the ratio of bar vs party changing depending upon the size of the city/town their school was located in.
There are class differences and some level of class separation everywhere. It isn't a distinctly or even more more pronounced American trait. As for class differences in college my experience was that I made and have had enduring friendships with people from all different social classes that I made in college. Some of my friends from college came from extremely wealthy families, made for some great mostly free for me spring break trips, and some were working multiple jobs to get through school. Those working the multiple jobs and those from wealth were also friends. Are some wealthy people snobs and jerks? Yes, but I have also met just as many reverse-snobs and jerks. My experience is being a jerk is a distinct trait with no direct connection to your social class. I'm mentioning this only because you say elite college in your comment and I don't want to have someone say the experience is different for elite colleges. I went to a university which is consistently ranked by those publications which rank such things as being in the top 10 and in specific areas of study in the top 3 programs in the country.
As for the original premise of whether college is needed to make life long friendships, I actually don't agree. I have life long friends from before, during and after college.
There are class differences and some level of class separation everywhere. It isn't a distinctly or even more more pronounced American trait. As for class differences in college my experience was that I made and have had enduring friendships with people from all different social classes that I made in college. Some of my friends from college came from extremely wealthy families, made for some great mostly free for me spring break trips, and some were working multiple jobs to get through school. Those working the multiple jobs and those from wealth were also friends. Are some wealthy people snobs and jerks? Yes, but I have also met just as many reverse-snobs and jerks. My experience is being a jerk is a distinct trait with no direct connection to your social class. I'm mentioning this only because you say elite college in your comment and I don't want to have someone say the experience is different for elite colleges. I went to a university which is consistently ranked by those publications which rank such things as being in the top 10 and in specific areas of study in the top 3 programs in the country.
As for the original premise of whether college is needed to make life long friendships, I actually don't agree. I have life long friends from before, during and after college.