and knowing is half the battle

Conventional academic wisdom (which is both the most and least conventional, those wily academics) dictates that the more you learn about something, the less you know. It's most certainly been true for me so far-- I've learned just enough to being to appreciate how little I know. At the same time, I forget just how much I've learned compared to those outside the rarefied air of the academe and this field. It's a nice little ego stroke to have a small lunch with a dean from another school and hear nice feedback. Right before a midterm/ final.