My (UK) university experiences teach me much the same. I particularly cannot bear snobbery over genre fiction, and find the term "literary fiction" preposterous. Isn't all fiction literary? The best murder mysteries, romances, ghost stories, etc, etc, are just as superbly written as the kind of books these people evidently prefer, and they are often a damn sight more entertaining too (I have a particular loathing for those who dismiss Tolkien). Entertainment is not a dirty word, as they often seem to think. I've slogged through many a dull Booker nominee, but adored many a page-turning thriller.