I think sometimes when people are comparing themselves to others they are remembering their own glory days or wishes and ideas and not necessarily criticizing us though it sounds like that when they took more courses (or would take more if they were in school :-) etc. It is just an opportunity for them to talk about a subject they would not otherwise get to talk about because they aren't doing "that" right now. I think they would talk the same to any college student, not just you, you just happen to be convenient People have opinions on everything they hear about, whether they are knowledgeable about the subject or not.