One item that needs to be clarified: secular studies are not as they used to be!
First, current “universities” are really trade schools at best or waste of time at worst. I measured with kids complexity of American writing using current school grades – modern politicians come somewhere between 8th and 10th grade. So did Andrew Jackson, I think. Madison was at … grade 38. This is about 2 PhDs or maybe “Dr Rabbi”. So, most people now are not going to university to reject Yiddishkeit for some other type of morality. It ain’t there unless it is Yale Divinity School or something.
2nd, we always admitted “yesh chochma b’goyim” and science developed tremendously in last centuries. Talmidei Chachamim were always interested in science and technology and I can’t imagine Rambam not learning quantum physics in our times. And all amoraim discussing natural remedies would be fascinated by mRNA vaccines. One used to have help from heaven to time his tefilah so that you start shmone esre at sunrise (there was no cheap way to measure time at night). Recently, I saw two Talmidei Chachamim arguing about a timing difference between two apps on their respective phones.
These two point do not mitigate everything, of course, such as
1) social problems when kids are sent away from home into coed places
2) all science does not substitute for Torah knowledge and attitudes