David Patterson�s Advice for New Graduate Students
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initiative, for fortune favors the bold.� Don�t wait for professors to tell you what to
do; if we were good managers, we probably wouldn�t be faculty.� Explore, challenge assumptions, and don�t let
lots of prior art discourage you.
� Sink or Swim.� We�ll offer
you what we think are great projects with plenty of potential, and we�ll
support you the best we can, but it�s what you do with the opportunity that
makes or breaks your graduate student career.
� Educate Your
Professor.� We�re in a fast-moving field, so for us to
give you good advice we need to know what you�re working on. [And what you�ve
learned outside the classroom! �MW].�
Teach us!
[from: David A. Patterson, �Your Students are Your Legacy�, CACM, March, 2009, 30-33]