I have worked in the field of higher education for over 60 years. In spite of the long-time experience, there has been a question that puzzles me a lot: what makes a graduate a talent? Is it high academic degree? However, numerous examples have illustrated that even some self-taught persons can score great achievement in their areas. So do renowned universities and tutors pull the strings? Still, we can find that not every student under the tutorship of prestigious professors is bound to be a talent. Specifically, we can take professor Hua Luogeng as an example. He tutored more than a hundred students while less than 5% of them became famous mathematician.
After continuously research and contemplation, I come to the conclusion that a talent depends on what and not on what are two aspects in a question. Previous experience has also shown that what decides one’s success lies in the person himself or herself instead of external factors like renowned schools or tutors, a high degree or a rich family. To be more exact, it is interest, ambition and persistence that create a talent.
According to my research on the successful experience of some famous scholars, the following five essential factors should be valued the most.
Firstly, one should develop the habit of reading. Reading is the basis of study. One of the common features of extraordinary intelligent youth is their ardent love for books. Liu Weining, a graduate from the Department of Space Physics at WHU, developed the habit of reading since he was taught to read Chinese characters. Wang Yifan who entered WHU at the age of 13 began to read the Four Chinese Classical Novels at only two years old. It is his superior reading ability that makes him establish 12 year’s school education in just 5 years. It is fair enough to say that a person who does not read or hates reading will get nowhere.
Secondly, one should learn to do self-study, which is the key to success. Undoubtedly, humans teach themselves to inherit the culture. Some talented students own brilliant study ability while most of students need to be cultivated. All talented youth have one thing in common—strict self-discipline. Only with superior motivation and ability of study can one achieve success. Countless examples reveal that one can learn without teachers. However, it is a pity that self-study can’t be universally applied due to various reasons. We should realize that the current knowledge-based education system is outdated and in urgent need of change.
Thirdly, superior memory is as equal important to a talent. There is a misunderstanding that to criticize rote is to oppose enhancing memory. It is wrong for it confuses the line between repeated recitation and the scientific method of enhancing memory. No academic master in the world is low in memory level. The famous writer Mao Dun was able to proficiently recite The Story of the Stone in his youth. Even more surprisingly, Chen Yinke, an academic giant in the field of humanities, owned amazing memory as he picked up as many as 12 languages. Although he didn’t get a bachelor’s degree after studying abroad for 12 years, we cannot deny that he had extremely strong memory which earned him great reputation.
Fourthly, it is important to gain a wide range of knowledge in both humanities and natural science. To be honest, I thought it a waste to read novels since I used to be a science man before 30 years old. But I was taught a lesson by reality as I later had to read many books related to humanities in order to meet the requirements in doing my job. This lesson impressed me a lot. I think what Qian Mu, a master of Chinese culture from Taiwan said is quite right, “What today’s society need is generalists than specialists. But what we aim to foster in schools and universities are the latter instead of the former. Only with the combination of liberal education and special education can we become a sane person”. The current unscientific system stemmed from former Soviet Union, which was proven to be ineffective. The whole world may know Nobel as a king of invention, but seldom does anyone know that he is also a poet and translator. His poems are well-received among the readers. Hence, it is of great value to delve into both humanities and sciences.
At last, I would like to say that savvy is the basic method of wisdom. Then what is savvy? It refers to the ability of comprehension which happens occasionally without much more logic, but it commands creativity. To explain it, we know that Gauss calculated the addition from 1 to 100 at 9. We know that Cao Chong solved the problem of weighting the elephant, which shocked all the court officials. We know that Si Maguang, a 7-year-old kid, saved the child in a vat filled with water. These are savvy. As what mentioned above, Liu Weining, a space science major, scored 740 in GMAT , which is the exam for business students.
I am greatly convinced that every normal person owns the potential of savvy which just needs to be discovered. Unfortunately, rigid education system holds back students’ savvy. So how can we unleash it to help us succeed? The key to tapping into your savvy lies in enlightenment, which is achieved in the process of constant self-asking, self-studying, self-questioning, self-answering and self-entertaining in an environment free from material desire, pressure and fear .
What I mentioned above is my answer to the question “What makes a talent?”. It explains why some students become talents without entering renowned schools or following famous tutors while other don’t even if they went to prestigious universities. The five factors play a vital role in whether a student can become a talent that contributes to our country and the world.
(Rewritten by Jingfang Huang，edited by Diana & Sijia Hu)
