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I don't like the focus of this article. I think it sidesteps the real issue - which is 'develop a passion for your subject' - and suggests that success would be very achievable for a student, if only the student managed to 'court' their professor/s in the correct way.

I might be wrong, but I don't believe this is true.

Develop (and progress) a passion for your subject, and everything will fall into place.

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I partially disagree. I think in a graduate program at least (esp. one that requires close relationships with faculty, like a PhD), it is reasonable to assume that most of the student are passionate about their subject. But professors have limited time, and the article is correct that the approach matters when trying to get attention from faculty. As the article argues, proving that you are not wasting their time is key for professors to decide how to allocate their time spent working with students.

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