I never pursued a comp sci degree in college, and it's possible that you're right, their subject matter is so basic you don't need to actually take classes to learn the content. I guess you could further argue that sites like Hacker News are so good at helping you meet like-minded coders that literally living with people who have the same passions doesn't yield the same reward that it used to.
That said:
> plus all the required coursework that might be completely unnecessary for your goals.
These were the courses I have become most thankful for at college. I've taken courses on religion, existentialism, the history of the Enlightenment, an analysis of film genres, a course on silent cinema, a flamenco course, and a number of other classes which each incidentally taught me a new way to look at the world. A liberal arts education is a valuable thing, and it's so much easier to grasp its meaning when you're guided there by a number of skilled, caring professors than when you try and read your way to the same goal. I have no doubt that one day people will create a virtual experience that duplicates or improves on what my college experience has been like, but so far nothing comes close.
In fact, one of my only regrets at college was that it didn't make math or science courses mandatory. I'm regretting more and more that my science knowledge was a high school year of biology, chemistry, and physics apiece. I suspect that taking college courses in the sciences would have exposed me to teachers talented enough to make learning those subjects worthwhile. And it's difficult to search for books about rekindling your passions in the sciences; I find the field pretty obscure and not at all easy to navigate on my own.