I don't think it's an issue. Look at how popular architects like Tod Williams & Billie Tsien and Peter Zumthor are today ... there will always be a demand for a conservative approach. With that said, I would suggest approaching parametricism with an open mind. People who pursue parametrics are trying to explore how new technologies could benefit architecture or open the field up to new possibilities. I agree that too often they prioritize form over substance, but many architects of all stripes have always been that way - it's simply easier to hide the lack of rigor when your work looks more conservative. I took a parametric design class where we looked at some of the underlying theories behind the movement and felt like I had a more rigorous and constructive experience. In my experience, I haven't ever had parametric design or non-orthogonal forms (for lack of a better description) pushed on me, even at some schools with fairly progressive reputations. The big question, regardless of the external appearance of any work, is whether or not any underlying ideas informed your design decisions. 

I don't know what to say other than some schools seem to push it 100%, other schools are blended, meaning it's emphasized but you don't have to buy in, and a few schools have not bought in.  I'm sure that scouring their websites thoroughly will tell you which is which.  Parametrics is the province of starchitects and big ticket commissions.  It is not applicable to a lot of design work, especially design work that has a more utilitarian or budget-constrained purpose, even with the advancements that have been made.  As far as schools go, and from what I can glean from here, the only major school that figures prominently in parametrics, yet allows pluralistic thinking, and design solutions, seems to be Michigan.  Some of the parametric design solutions students are showing look like pure substance over form, more appropriate for art school than architecture school.  More fodder that sometimes architecture doesn't know its ass from a hole in the ground.  Curricula that are as volatile and different as the weather, IDP, a crazy economy, and parametrics ... great bedfellows.

Observant is correct. Tons of schools may have a fabrication lab and SUPPORT parametric modeling but in no way require it. My university was one of those. Some design studio professors were into it, some weren't, but even those who liked it respected those students who chose not to design that way.