Don't forget that all important word next to writers... "college." Which means people are trying to find their voice. And along the way they do a lot of crap. A lot of these folks are still in adolescence. So you can get a lot of pretentious bullcrap out of them. Doesn't mean that's who you need to be.

Writing is many things, I think. Mostly, it's an expression of who and what you are. Which means it's gonna be different for EVERYONE. Hold onto your individuality and your sense of what writing is and don't let anyone else tell you it should be something different. And don't get discouraged.

Many hugs and much agreement for what you had to say here.