<p>So I don’t consider myself cleverer than most people in my college. But if I work really hard I mean really really really hard to get a decent GPA say 3.7 and try to rack up as much research experience… and I get into grad schools… is it worth going considering that many people in grad school would be cleverer than me and that even if I get my higher degree I might end up as a lousy researcher anyway as I am not a genius.</p>
<p>actually what I want to know is, do we have to be geniuses to do good research, impact-ful research?</p>
<p>answer: no. you probably already knew that.</p>
<p>there’s no formula to success that compares to your screen name. look up the documentary on a guy like Rick Rosner. having a genius level iq doesn’t make you brilliant. it simply means you’re gifted.</p>
<p>being a hard worker is another thing. sure, it may seem you’re doing yeoman’s work in comparison to peers at times…but if you get results of any kind, isn’t that how one becomes fulfilled by work?</p>
<p>life isn’t about being more clever than anyone else. some may have inherent advantages and choose to exploit them. gold medals exist in athletics and few other professions. it’s tough to say on a given day that anyone is the best in the world at a given line of work. focus on yourself and making the greatest impact you can. it’s one of those meta-life choices.</p>
<p>Genius is a really vague term. Here is what I say you need to become a researcher (academic PI):</p>
<p>Leadership ability
Good work ethic
Good presentation skills (writing, oral, conversations, networking)
Creativity
Ability to learn your prospective field
Ability to recruit good employees</p>
<p>Here are some questionable skills:
Experimentalist (a lot of big names actually never had this)
Teaching/Mentoring </p>