evolution

i went to see a professor of mine, for whom i have a great deal of respect, on friday, about my quest to get into a ph.d. program. he said something that struck me like a bolt of lightning:

“my take on you is that you’re not quite a 24-hour-a-day guy.”

back when i was goofing off in other majors during my undergrad years, i had a lesson to learn. i had coasted through high school - i was never asked to do anything outside of my capability (thereby learning a great deal in the process), and i subconsciously took advantage of that by not doing any work. then i got serious about college, and i learned that i had to treat my undergrad years as a 40-hour-per-week job, just like any other. i developed decent work habits, and i succeeded in my undergraduate math classes.

now i am in graduate school - the next level - and i have had to learn this lesson all over again - at the next level. i treat my school work like a 40-hour-per-week job, just like any other, but that isn’t enough. if i am going to be a good mathematician (as i have every intention of becoming), then i must step up to the task. i have to become a “24-hour-a-day guy”. i have realized this after listening to my professors in class and their command of the material we cover, and i see that they are, deep down inside, “24-hour-a-day guys”. hopefully i haven’t learned too late.