Mr. (or Ms.) Chips, Jr.

Talented faculty members often inspire gifted students to aspire to the professoriate. I sometimes think those students are a bit like an eager-to-please puppy that brings a dead squirrel to its owner under the assumption that a loving pat on the head is in order.

“So naïve,” the professor might think. Or perhaps, “So innocent about what graduate school and the job market look like.” Better yet, “Please tell me you aren’t dropping your premed track for some esoteric, low-paying field!”

But what should professors actually say to those would-be academics?