[33girl]

A lot of people have dealt with this same situation.

Basically, all you can do is show your old friends that yes, maybe you've changed - but it is a change for the better. Your dues don't pay for friends, they pay for housing and programming and insurance. It sounds like they are jealous that you went away and did something different than they did. Everyone changes and grows when they go to college - unless they keep themselves closed off to any kind of new experience.

Just tell them that while you're still their friend, you won't put up with having something you care about denigrated - any more than they would put up with you saying mean things about their family or career choices. If they can't understand that, they're not really friends at all.