I’m not one who did what “everyone else” does… I broke all the “norms”– I went to a different seminary than “everyone else,” I went back for shana bet which is unheard of in my city, and sure, I had people talking. But let them talk =)
That’s not your problem though, because it seems like you ARE doing what’s expected.
So try to make your experience unique, not just the typical “AMAZING!!!OMG!!” year that “everyone else” has.