Mentor Trumps Project?

Over at Reddit, graduate student ktuluflux asks about the qualities that distinguish "great" researchers from "simply good" ones. "There are those graduate researchers who win multiple awards and honors, but I also see others working as hard without the same productivity," ktuluflux says. While Reddit synthetic organic and organometallic contributor nallen suggests that project selection is "the most critical factor [in] a successful graduate school career," chrisamiller, a cancer genomics and bioninfomatics contributor, suggests that mentorship matters more. To that, chrisamiller suggests that graduate students choose a mentor "carefully," based on considerations for future success. "It's about the culture of the lab: striking the right balance between availability and micro-management, and knowing that they're going to support you as you push papers and try to graduate," chrisamiller says. "These things often matter even more than your project."