I find myself constantly running into this expression "don't reinvent the wheel" or "never reinvent the wheel" when I ask some questions on SO. They tell you to use some frameworks or existing packages. I know where this attitude is coming from since it's unwise to waste time on something others have already solved. Or it that so?

As a student, I find by using some code others wrote to solve my problem I can't learn as much as I'd like to, and I gain less insight. And sometimes I think that phrase is mainly for working programmers facing deadlines and not for students like me.

Is it that bad to "reinvent the wheel"? Maybe I'm thinking it wrong? Maybe there is a way I can avoid reinventing the wheel and at the same time learn a lot?