Why does nobody here take actual classes?

This is seemingly an American dominated subreddit, so I'll focus on that. But if you aren't American, education is probably even more accessible.

I'm not sure if people just don't realize how available academic language classes are. Major research universities will have basically every language imaginable, from Spanish to Old Norse and Welsh. Community colleges will almost always have good offerings for major languages like Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese.

What about the cost? You can audit university classes (so you don't get a grade or credit, but you can still participate) for free or a negligible fee. Community colleges typically cost less than $200 per class, but if you just show up the professor will almost certainly let you participate without a grade for free.

It's just so odd to me that people would spend years languishing with apps when this is so clearly the best way to learn a language. You're surrounded by people at your skill level who want to learn, and an instructor who speaks the language and is an expert in teaching it. You also have office hours with the professor where you can easily practice the language or ask questions.