Okay, here’s what I don’t get: why am I getting crap for the way I’m approaching my education?

Let me clarify. My goals for my college education include: getting a 4.0, getting a bachelor’s in science, and getting three minors, all in three years. I have had several conversations with several different people about this, and every single one of their reactions were some form of this: “Why don’t you have some fun? What do you think all this stress is going to get you anyway? There’s more to life than grades, you know.”
Yes, I know. I’m aware that there’s more to the college experience than studying for tests and writing papers. I know that once school is over, no one is going to care whether I got a 4.0 or not. I know that there is much more to life than getting good grades, and I know, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to matter if I get three minors or if I graduate in three years. These kinds of things are not going to majorly affect my life later on (most likely).

But I’m also aware that it’s rather stupid to judge people based on what they do with their education. And I definitely know that you are in no position to judge me based on my decisions.

However, because nobody really seems to see this from my point of view, I’m going to explain myself here. The goals I am setting in terms of my education are goals myself and myself only. They aren’t for social status, good job standing, or monetary gain later in life. I’m trying to graduate in three years simply because it’s a goal I’ve set for myself so that later when I look back on my life I can say, “hey, I met my goal.”

I know that there are other activities involved in college—parties, social stuff, etc. I get most of my enjoyment from working on school stuff, which is basically why I do it and why I’m taking a lot of credits. That’s something I enjoy. I don’t know how to explain it any better.

Most importantly, though, I don’t think it’s right to judge me on these decisions. I don’t judge others for these things. If someone doesn’t feel like college is right for them, then that’s fine. I won’t judge them any differently than someone who’s going to Harvard. It may sound ridiculous that I’m mentioning these things, but I’ve gotten a couple accusations of being “superior” to others and I just want everyone to know that I do not think that way at all. Period.

So that’s about it. Just a little rant I had to get out of the way.