EARLI SIG 7

A common misconception: ‘To get a PhD, I need to be really smart.’ Nope. You just have to be genuinely curious. I often hear students say they're afraid of a PhD because they feel 'not good enough' for it. My experience is: - You don’t need extraordinary skills to earn a PhD - You don’t need to be a ‘walking encyclopedia’ - You don’t need to be a genius ❗ All you need is curiosity. The curiosity that brings joy in exploring intricate technical details. - Hard work is a by-product of curiosity. - Exploration of literature is a by-product of curiosity. - Your own vision for the field is also a by-product of curiosity! The problem is that: - There are advisors who likes ‘active doers', not ‘curious thinkers' - There are bad & boring projects that misalign with natural curiosity - There is a lack of mentorship that fails to nurture curiosity Of course, all students are different: Some PhD students are fast thinkers, others are fast learners or deep thinkers. Some require re-learning. Others need proper mentorship in their first year. ❗But there is NO fundamental flaws that should prevent 99% of students from getting a PhD. PhD is just a degree. You are ready for it if you feel curious.