“Being smart is not enough”

Jennifer Polk’s blog, fromphdtolife, led me to a useful resource, Eva Lantsoght’s PhD Talk.

As with many grad studies-related blogs, Eva’s blog is focused on PhD work, but much of what she says is of use to master’s level students as well.

This is the case with her post “Being smart is not enough — Four factors necessary for success” (July 24/14). She argues that there are four qualities beyond being smart or savvy that contribute to graduate student success – both during their studies, I would add, and afterwards when they are presenting themselves to potential employers.

The “four factors necessary for success” in her view are:

• Intelligence — in the broad sense that includes emotional intelligence, street smarts and tactical thinking
• Organization — the ability to bring a large project to completion through what amounts to managerial skills
• Optimism — avoiding “the quicksand of pessimism”
• Perseverance — rolling up your sleeves and getting things done, even when the going gets rough.

This is a rich blog with many links and search ability with respect to specific topics you might be interested in.

 

---