In 4 years of High School, 4 years of College, and 2 years of Graduate School, I learned innumerable things about a wide variety of topics, but the most important lesson I learned was this: the students who get A's are not necessarily the most naturally gifted in the class, but are the almost always the hardest workers. Sooner or later, everyone finds themselves struggling to stay on top of their classwork, and when that happens, it's the diligent, not the brilliant, who come out on top.

Tha...