Why do we go to school?

When I was fighting to get into my Bio class, the professor asked me why I was taking science. He pointed out that every semester I took science, my GPA went down (my Psych GPA is a 4.0). And I can get the BA in Psych without it. I told him that I wasn't in school for my GPA, I was in school to learn about things that interested me. And science interested me. Besides, when is the next time in my life I'm going to get access to a proper science lab? Most likely never.

I have repeated this concept to my classmates who are astounded that I am taking a class that most people are failing simply because I enjoy science, even though I'm not particularly good at it. I remember being their age and believing that the purpose of school was to do well (by whatever definition of "well" you ascribe to). But I waited for my education, so I think I get the privilege of learning for the sake of learning. I didn't do great on my lab practical today, but I learned a lot while taking it, including a lot about what I don't know. Every lecture class leaves me with more questions. If I had all the time in the world, I'd be an astounding biologist because the subject fascinates me on a really deep level and I'm constantly looking for ways to expand my knowledge. But I don't have all the time in the world, so I'm happy with a passing grade and a continued fascination. It brings down my GPA, but GPAs are arbitrary numbers. Knowledge may not be quantifiable, but it's so much more fulfilling.