> it seems difficult to imagine “academic superhumans” struggle with anything, ever. I know a person who went to a comparable institution in my country, who wa

> it seems difficult to imagine “academic superhumans” struggle with anything, ever. I know a person who went to a comparable institution in my country, who was considered something of a prodigy by his peers (and me) both before being selected and after joining the institution, and who struggled a lot with his academic responsibilities. In fact, I know a few of them. One of them had to drop out of the institution after repeatedly trying to finish his academic programme, and after two years of extensions. People struggle with things, in general. Everybody has their struggles, everybody has their demons. Even "superhumans". What we should be aiming for is not the lack of struggles — for that is merely the absence of effort — but perseverance in the face of it and growth from going through it.