I'm RPing it as, well, now I have time to do my *own* research into Dwemer ruins/finding "rare" tomes (even if they don't do anything) instead of running around for others.

My first character stopped running the side quests after becoming Arch-mage, because it felt silly to her to run errands for her subordinates. She's somewhat egocentric and generally doesn't do anything unless the requester makes it worth her while in some way, which subordinates generally cannot do. Subsequent ones will do a bunch of side work between stages of the main line, as I will be progressing it only when they reach a preset level of proficiency in an appropriate skill.

I was pretty pissed when my Thalmor covert-agent was forced to act against one of his own.

What I did on my most recent character was do the questline very slowly, and take my magic training into my own hands. I joined the college when I was a newbie at magic, and now I am about halfway through the questline and am Adelt/Expert on most magic skills. I roleplay that my character prefers to learn by experience, so explores the world on behalf of the college, making discoveries and honing her skills. By the time I become arch mage I should be a master of at least two schools of magic, and will feel like I've earned it.

What they should have done was add a few "break" quests that you could do at your own liesure, without making every task you must undertake life-or-death-do-it-now.

Heh, I had high enough sneak to just crouch there and do nothing. I passed with flying colors.

I kind of disagree with the first part of your post. Running errands for EVERY court mage is in my opinion immersion breaking, because Skyrim is supposed to be a huge province. It would be unrealistic lore-wise to visit every major city in Skyrim just to be allowed to study magic. Also, it was really annoying in Oblivion. Maybe you could need a recommendation from one mage from any city, that would be a bit more realistic.

However I strongly agree with the whole second part of your post. The questline itself wasn't bad in my opinion, but it was ridiculous, how quickly you became an archmage. I would like to have more quests where you attend to classes, and get to know your fellow students better.

I'd like to have exams in the game. Like you need to go through dungeons to advance in rank and the dungeons could be based on different schools of magic (a dungeon filled with enemies to test your destruction, a dungeon that is full of things that deal damage to test your restoration, some puzzle dungeon that would require you to enchant different items with different enchantments to proceed, etc.)

There could be some kind of competitions with your fellow students, that would test your morality. Do you help a student who is in trouble while another student is winning the competition, or do you want victory at any cost, sacrificing your friends, etc, etc.

There could be some areas in the collage that are strictly forbidden for students and guarded by workers of the collage but with rich rewards. To enter them would require to use illusion magic to distract guards, and so on, and so on.

Exactly the kind of experience I was hoping for.

lol, I know that feel.

I've completed the college of winterhold questline 3 times.

It feels way too rushed.

1) You join the college.

2) Go to Saarthol and clear it like nothing. (90% of the dungeon is empty from the start)

3) Go search for some books in a dungeon.

4) Sends you to go look for the staff of magnus in a dwarven ruin. (Filler quest) ( This quest is a waste of time )

5) Look for Staff of magnus at labarynthian

6) Use the staff of magnus to kill ancano? Absorb power of the eye?

I really didn't like how short and meaningless the questline was.

The auger said that you need the Staff to not be blinded by the eye. Ancano is not blinded and neither is anyone else. Waste of time to even go see him.

Auger: You have come here to seek knowledge of that which you do not know

Player: Yeah, thanks for telling me why I'm here.

Speaking to Auger was a waste of time, he doesn't even tell you much of anything. It's just a filler quest.

The physijic monk was just as useless.

He appears a few times and doesn't tell you anything worth listening to.

And the ending was horrible.

My third time around doing the questline...

As I was going to go up and fight Ancano a wisp monster (which is never even explained as to why they are in Winterhold, who they are, who is controlling them, etc.)

...appears out of nowhere and starts fighting Ancano.

Ancano died within seconds.

Didn't even have to touch him, this made me question why you even needed the Staff of Magnus if even a stupid Wisp monster just goes up and kills Ancano.

Such a waste of time...

On top of that, right after Ancano dies Toldir is like...

Toldir: "ohhhh you did it, you saved the college!"

Toldir "well here you go you are the Arch-Mage! Ha Ha ha!"

Player: lolwut?

Also Mirabelle dies, this is unacceptable.

She was so pretty and her voice was so sweet...

Out of all people why did Mirabelle have to die?