Describing TA experiences

[gamerstud77]

This sounds dumb. I have been a TA for many semesters and I am trying to tweeze the meaningful experiences out of them.

The problem is that the role of a TA doesn't change much from semester to semester and having all those descriptions to fill in might begin to sound repetitive. Also, I don't want to come across warm and fuzzy with some stretched story that I learned each semester. What is your opinion on how to handle this?

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[slatermd]

This sounds dumb. I have been a TA for many semesters and I am trying to tweeze the meaningful experiences out of them.

The problem is that the role of a TA doesn't change much from semester to semester and having all those descriptions to fill in might begin to sound repetitive. Also, I don't want to come across warm and fuzzy with some stretched story that I learned each semester. What is your opinion on how to handle this?

Not sure I'm understanding you right. If you are talking about putting this in your med school application, I would suggest listing all of your semesters as a TA in the same box, as one of your 15 experiences you can list.

Your description should be general about what you did across all semesters; you don't want to say the same thing 7 times. Reflect on how you developed through the experience.

 

[WuMedic]

Not sure I'm understanding you right. If you are talking about putting this in your med school application, I would suggest listing all of your semesters as a TA in the same box, as one of your 15 experiences you can list.

Your description should be general about what you did across all semesters; you don't want to say the same thing 7 times. Reflect on how you developed through the experience.

If this is for Amcas, then I agree with above, list as one of your experiences.

If this is for a resume, list the job once, and under that heading, list your experiences. No need to list it 7 times!

For my resume, I have a heading that has basic info (Head TA, Department of BME, School, Dates worked)
And then listed in bullets under it what my duties were.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Yeah make sure you only put it as one activity on your AMCAS unless it was for totally different classes and totally different TA roles (for example gen chem to orgo doesn't count). Being a TA will work in your favor, don't worry. One thing to put down in the description section that I'm sure you learned is effective teaching/leadership skills. Effective communication is essential in medicine and hopefully being a TA has helped you develop those skills.

Remember for description sections you want to give a short blurb about what exactly you did and then give some comments about what key skills it helped you develop. For all your activites you're putting on your AMCAS, I'd suggest going over all of them and jotting down in bullets what one or two skills you've learned or developed from it. If you didn't learn something from it...it's debatable whether you should be putting it down unless you absolutely have nothing left to put. Nobody wants to read a paragraph of description about your premed society.

The last paragraph was a little off topic but I figured while I was answering your question I'd give a little advice too. Sorry if you already knew all that.

 

[NickNaylor]

Yeah make sure you only put it as one activity on your AMCAS unless it was for totally different classes and totally different TA roles (for example gen chem to orgo doesn't count). Being a TA will work in your favor, don't worry. One thing to put down in the description section that I'm sure you learned is effective teaching/leadership skills. Effective communication is essential in medicine and hopefully being a TA has helped you develop those skills.

Remember for description sections you want to give a short blurb about what exactly you did and then give some comments about what key skills it helped you develop. For all your activites you're putting on your AMCAS, I'd suggest going over all of them and jotting down in bullets what one or two skills you've learned or developed from it. If you didn't learn something from it...it's debatable whether you should be putting it down unless you absolutely have nothing left to put. Nobody wants to read a paragraph of description about your premed society.

The last paragraph was a little off topic but I figured while I was answering your question I'd give a little advice too. Sorry if you already knew all that.

Agree with this completely.

 

[ACSurgeon]

Yeah make sure you only put it as one activity on your AMCAS unless it was for totally different classes and totally different TA roles (for example gen chem to orgo doesn't count). Being a TA will work in your favor, don't worry. One thing to put down in the description section that I'm sure you learned is effective teaching/leadership skills. Effective communication is essential in medicine and hopefully being a TA has helped you develop those skills.

Remember for description sections you want to give a short blurb about what exactly you did and then give some comments about what key skills it helped you develop. For all your activites you're putting on your AMCAS, I'd suggest going over all of them and jotting down in bullets what one or two skills you've learned or developed from it. If you didn't learn something from it...it's debatable whether you should be putting it down unless you absolutely have nothing left to put. Nobody wants to read a paragraph of description about your premed society.

The last paragraph was a little off topic but I figured while I was answering your question I'd give a little advice too. Sorry if you already knew all that.

Agreed

 

[gamerstud77]

Yeah make sure you only put it as one activity on your AMCAS unless it was for totally different classes and totally different TA roles (for example gen chem to orgo doesn't count). Being a TA will work in your favor, don't worry. One thing to put down in the description section that I'm sure you learned is effective teaching/leadership skills. Effective communication is essential in medicine and hopefully being a TA has helped you develop those skills.

Remember for description sections you want to give a short blurb about what exactly you did and then give some comments about what key skills it helped you develop. For all your activites you're putting on your AMCAS, I'd suggest going over all of them and jotting down in bullets what one or two skills you've learned or developed from it. If you didn't learn something from it...it's debatable whether you should be putting it down unless you absolutely have nothing left to put. Nobody wants to read a paragraph of description about your premed society.

The last paragraph was a little off topic but I figured while I was answering your question I'd give a little advice too. Sorry if you already knew all that.

+1 Thank you