Bravo to T.V. Rajan's well written commentary on "The Good Old Days."1 The article flooded my memory with quite vivid (and recent) memories of the good old days in graduate school where one encountered either the mean-spirited or the easy-going professor, who shaped our present careers. As we look back, the human mind seems to remember the tough professor, who forced us to study just a bit harder or give a more detailed presentation than we would have given. However, the presence of the more compassionate and encouraging professor is also necessary in the recipe for the making of a successful graduate student. It is not necessarily the tyrannical professor who will instill discipline, but the one who connects best with the students. As we reach the ranks of "professor," I believe that we routinely reevaluate our sadistic professors, in part, because we are really evaluating ourselves to determine...
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