The unexpected key to success in graduate school

By Serina DeSalvio 

I get asked a lot about the key to success in graduate school. Depending on who’s asking, people either assume you must be super smart, or super passionate, or some combination of the two to get through a masters or Ph. D. program.

I’m here to tell you that while passion and smarts are both insanely important (you need to pass your exams, and you need to stay engaged with your work), my hot take is that neither are the key to graduate school success.

While smarts will get you far in coursework, it won’t always get you far in research. When you’re pioneering a new idea, or new technique, or new vision- your intelligence will help you develop the steps to achieving your goals. You’ll know what to do, what not to do, what the most helpful preliminary tests would be- you might even be able to identify other people who can help you with your work! Which it is all great- however, being smart doesn’t necessarily make you a successful graduate student- not all on its own, at least.

Then there’s passion, which will help you come up with all the greatest new ideas and pursue them with tenacity. Passion is certainly what gets you into graduate school- and at times it can keep you in graduate school, when you can zoom out from your project and see the big picture of the field you are affecting. Passion is also what drives most advisors- your mentor-mentee relationship is likely to be at its best when your advisor feels that you share a passion for the work they are doing- thus the work you are doing. However, just like being smart, passion alone will not make you a successful graduate student.

And here’s the punchline- if you want to get through graduate school you need to be stubborn. Seriously, I mean it- like bull-headed, absolutely positive about wanting your degree, and continuously trying to achieve your goals even in the face of failure. That’s what graduate school is about! Even on days that you don’t feel smart, if you’re stubborn, you’ll keep trying to find answers to your questions (in research, or in class!). Even on days that the love for your field feels like it’s not quite as strong- if you’re stubborn, you’ll push yourself to re-engage with the parts of your work that makes you most excited.

So, I invite you- next time someone asks what the key to surviving a graduate school program is- tell them to work on being stubborn!