#  Dr Barandes offers advice to students: Take risks and build courage 

 





February 19, 2020

 

 

 I mainly teach students in the physical sciences, but I have some advice to share with those who are studying subjects centered more broadly around problem-solving.

 First and foremost, remember that there are many ways to be extraordinary. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that ability in a particular discipline lies along a single axis, and that any two people in that discipline can be lined up and compared. But getting stuck in this mindset discourages cooperation and leads to a sense of competition, a feeling that we have to demonstrate that we’re better or more capable than those around us, and a constant fear of not measuring up. Just as importantly, this attitude is contrary to the history of scholarship in many disciplines...

 Continue reading the [advice](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/advice-on-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-education/) Dr. Jacob Barandes, Co-Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Physics and Lecturer on Physics, gives in response to *The Harvard Gazette*'s question: **If you were to write a letter to your students, what would you want them to know?**