I would argue that getting a Ph.D. is 90% working hard and meeting deadlines and 10% how smart you are relative to the other Ph.D. students. But, you wouldn't be in the program in the first place if you didn't prove a certain level of intelligence...this goes for all graduate programs.
On Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 8:44 AM, Andrew D. Bailey <[email protected]> wrote: > Mitch, your opening paragraph and premise just doesn't site right with me. > From my observations of the folks I've seen get PhDs, I have a hard time > accepting that a PhD is "something that the majority of the population is > not capable of achieving" due to any inherent "intellectual prowess"- that > statement absolutely smacks of the elitism that gives academics a bad name. > It comes off as putting yourself on some pedestal of intelligence due to a > piece of paper you received. > > A PhD is definitely something that the majority of the population does not > aspire to achieve. PhD programs obviously attract some of the best and > brightest since they are the capstone degrees in most fields- but plenty of > average folks receive PhDs too. I have seen very few cases where a PhD is > denied to a candidate due to intellectual inferiority. I would suggest that > the most important ingredient in achieving a PhD is determination, not > inherent intelligence. > > Andrew Bailey > > Mitch Cruzan wrote: >> >> There is a deeper issue here- A PhD is not just something you get, or that >> anybody can just get. The ability to earn a PhD in any discipline is >> something that the majority of the population is not capable of achieving. >> It's not just about hard work- A PhD is earned through the demonstration of >> intellectual prowess, or more specifically the ability to assimilate and >> explicate information from the breadth of a field of study. > -- Malcolm L. McCallum Associate Professor of Biology Texas A&M University-Texarkana Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology http://www.herpconbio.org Fall Teaching Schedule & Office Hours: Ecology: M,W 1-2:40 pm Cell Biology: M 6-9:40 pm (don't ask!) Forensic Science: T,R 10-11:40am Office Hours: MW 12-1, 5-6, TR 11:40-12:30, 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
