I'm an Ink Blot

I'm kind of like a projective test ~ you can tell a lot about people by their reactions to me.
Not necessarily me as a person- more about my accomplishments (aka., those initials after my name).

A little background... as you may have noticed, I'm working on my PhD. I just finished my Masters a little over a month ago- 10 days shy of my 25th birthday.
While, yes, I am proud (I busted my butt, and I went through a lot in the months prior to get to that point), I don't say this because it's anything I really feel the need to brag about. It's a choice I made, for better or for worse, and it's just kind of what I do (and what I think I am supposed to being doing).

But other people seem to view it in all sorts of random ways.

Some imbue me with some sort of magical wisdom and intelligence. I must truly be insanely brilliant to have done this. Although this may seem at first like a complement, I actually find it insulting to ignore the notion of absurd amounts of hard work. Brains are nice and everything, but they won't get you anywhere in my program unless you are willing to survive off of little sleep and living in front of a computer.

Other seem to focus on what characteristics I must lack.
"Anyone with that of dedication surely must be a social outcast."
"She must really feel like her life is missing something."
"She will really be sad when she realizes that, no matter how many degrees she has, she hasn't really experienced life. "
These people have no sense of who I really am.
I guess it's pretty difficult to reconcile the idea that I do still have a social life and external interests with being a young grad student. What these people don't seem to realize is that I remain a reasonably typical 25 year old. I get stupid drunk with my friends and decide to run shoeless through wet fields. I have travelled to 3rd world countries (okay, "country", technically). I go to live shows. I go to the beach. I shop for silly shoes. I've lived in different cities. Boys like me (and I really like one of them). I'm not a hopeless loser by default, and I certainly don't feel like I haven't lived. I've lived a hell of a lot more than a lot of the people who criticize me.

Fitting with this is those who focus more on me being female. What am I going to do about children?
"You know, when I was 25, I had two kids and had been married for 4 years."
"You're going to have to start breeding as soon as you get that PhD!" (okay, few people actually use the term breeding in conversation)

Or else they focus on how this will emasculate my poor future husband.
"How is he going to deal with you making more money than him?"
"How will he feel about being Dr. and Mr.?"

It's also a hell of a charmer at the bar. I actually admire the man who will continue a conversation with me upon hearing that I'm a grad student. Usually, the average 20 year old (I unfortunately barely pass for 19) will slowly back away, despite how much of a "slammin' hottie" I was two minutes earlier. (okay, again, same with the term breeding, no one has ever actually called me a "slammin' hottie". I don't even know what that means. But you get my drift.)

My favourite, though, is those who go on the defensive. Their first response when they hear about me is to explain in detail why they don't have a masters degree. This really bugs me- by virtue of me deciding to get one, I think that everyone in the planet should do the same. I actually think university education, as a general rule, is highly overrated, and that people shouldn't pay money for school unless they really feel passionate about what they are studying. They also might lament how pointless their lives are and how they've accomplished so little. Sorry that I'm working towards my own goals- but I swear I'm not doing it to give you an inferiority complex.