[patrickrd]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

There are two very different and confusing messages here (I think maybe you have not yet come to terms with your own college FIRST experience?).

Have people started taking the opportunity to attend college for granted? Is college nothing but grades 13-16 now?

My grandparents came to the US from Germany when they were 18, and I was the first person in my family to attend college and get a degree (ever, as far back as I can trace my family tree).

When you are in college your degree, your career, should be the thing you are living and breathing, not FIRST!

You're right, In a certain sense I have never fully come to terms with my college FIRST experience. I would be wrong to say that my experience was all positive in the long run. It was a great experience for me in a many, many ways and led to countless opportunities, and I am now at a great job working on a very cool project. But I also did go overboard at some points. I think the lesson learned for me was to draw a line to differentiate dreams and ambition from blind dreams and ambition. Whenever you are pursuing a dream or a goal, it is always critical to keep it real and keep a clear perspective on yourself and how your ambitions are affecting you and your future.

If you can't keep a good balance between your ambitions and the academic portion of your college education, then you need to have the foresight to see that you are headed down a bad path. But if you can keep a good balance, all the power to you.