David Patterson�s Advice for New Graduate Students

 

       Show 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]