Can a Good Researcher Be a Bad Student?

[missfangula]

Is this possible? I find myself thriving in the research environment, but I would not call myself a very good student...are there different skills involved, from your experience? Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[Choppy]

What I've found is that the best students don't always make the best researchers because of exactly what you've mentioned: there are different skills involved. There are a lot of people who become very good at being a students - who solve any problem set you can come up with and write spectacular reports, etc - but when it comes to the independent thinking and organization required to define a research project, they fall apart.

That said, to be a good researcher you should be at least a reasonable student. It is extremely difficult to go from a state where you stuggle with basic concepts to one where you can make significant progress in an uncharted field.

 

[eri]

I've seen several good researchers but bad students wash out of grad school when they hit the qualifying exams. You need to be good enough to get past that hurdle, and then it won't matter as much afterward if you're not great at coursework.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I've seen several good researchers but bad students wash out of grad school when they hit the qualifying exams.

That happens. So does the reverse - the student who smokes all his tests, but when he has to do something independent, he crumbles. You need some degree of aptitude in both areas to succeed.