life vs. school

somehow, maybe ironically since school is supposed to educate children to become functioning adults, it's always seemed to me like there is a rivalry between real-life and school. some people hate school (because it's time consuming, expensive, or seemingly irrelevant to the "real world") and can't wait to be done with it. others love learning (or the nice little bubble of living as an idealistic student and not having to worry about the reality.) plus, there's the stereotype that the little nerd with big glasses studies all the time and has "no life."

do you like school better, or life better? which do you find easier?
are school and life polar opposites?
in your experience, are people who are good at school not necessarily good at life?
can you be good at both school and "life"?
is there anything wrong with loving school?

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i've always been more or less your stereotypical nerd, and given the choice between studying or going out the night before a test, i'm most certain that the guilt and perfectionism in me would make me study. i've always seen myself as being "good at school" but socially awkward/not so good at life. (i'm sure there are other bookworms on the forum who can relate.) i feel alive at school... i feel like i'm using my brain... in a way i never feel when i'm working full time and dealing with the mundane tasks of everyday life.

that's why my world falls apart when i do badly at school. even though they say "grades don't mean anything", i still feel betrayed because i loved it, and despairing because if i'm not good at school, and life was always inferior to school, then... everything sucks. most of my friends who don't do as well in school as they'd like to, shrug it off by being indifferent and counting the days til they graduate. but if i don't really anticipate real life with glee, what can i do?

i guess i'm just wondering why i (and most people) treat real life and school as two completely different experiences.