@Shipsarecool - If you mean academic achievement in the sense of grades (which you insist should always be a #1 priority) then there are a number of better answers. Expanding one’s intellectual horizons. Learning for the sake of learning. To be in the company of minds who share similar passions as yourself. To be in the presence of world class faculty who have spent years studying your intended field. Self discovery and becoming a mature, functioning young adult. Extracurricular charitable and philanthropic opportunities that enriched your soul.