"Skills is a bare necessity" or "are bare necessities"

[smashingdude]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post, so everyone HI

I am trying to write an official letter, and need to make sure the grammar is correct. I need help with this sentence:

"academic excellence along with interpersonal skills is a bare necessity"

Is this sentence grammatically correct? Or should it be "are bare necessities" instead of "is a bare necessity"

Thanks

[Alan]

Welcome to the forum!

The first sentence is correct (the subject is singular).