Is TA ing worth it?

[BlueElmo]

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I might TA next semester for General Chemistry Lab, but I found out that it is a 20 hours/week commitment. I don't know if I want to spend so much time for one extracurricular activity. I could spend the extra time in my research lab. So, is TA ing a big deal for adcoms? I mean, is it on par in impact with clinical shadowing or research with a publication? Thanks all.

 

[HeatherMD]

I have no idea how impressive it is to adcoms, but I LOVE TA'ing!

but I only TA the summer courses, and do research during the academic year. I definitely share your worry that the extensive commitment to teaching a lab(s) may be too much with a full courseload, so I just say no thanks to that..

 

[seven87]

I might TA next semester for General Chemistry Lab, but I found out that it is a 20 hours/week commitment. I don't know if I want to spend so much time for one extracurricular activity. I could spend the extra time in my research lab. So, is TA ing a big deal for adcoms? I mean, is it on par in impact with clinical shadowing or research with a publication? Thanks all.

Might be too much work. I loved being a TA, it was pretty fun.

 

[Faziz]

Its not a bad Idea. I teach for princeton review and my interviewers loved it.. they kept driving home the idea that doctors are the ultimate teacher because they have to teach patients about their illness as well as how to take care of themselves..

 

[sylvanthus]

Personally, I don't think it is worth the time committment. If I were you I would focus upon ECs or something else that will make you stand out without making you devote 20 hours/week.

 

[RuSkaya]

I enjoyed TA-ing as well... however 20 hours a week is a lot of time.. I never came close to that

 

[Lukkie]

i liked it

 

[RUc10]

I consider my TA job worth it but it's only 3 hours a week.. 20 hours is a bit over the top but would probably still be a great experience.

 

[suizyme09]

I love my job! I TA Gen Chem. Last year I taught one lab a quarter but this year I am teaching two. I'm guessing from your post that it's just an EC at your school? We get paid to TA chemistry here. On an hourly basis it's a very fair wage and I certainly think it's worth it for how much I enjoy my job! As for impressing interviewers I have no idea, but I think it's fun just the same to tell people you teach college chemistry while you're still in college 😛.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Teaching is definitely worth it, if you're interested in an academic medical position. I hear they like to see that if you tell them you want to go into academia, because it shows you have grounds to judge your desire to do it. Same argument as trying to apply to med school with no medical related experience.

 

[crazymedgirl]

i am a TA for a gen chem lab this semester and am really enjoying it (and getting paid!) as well, think it's great for the resume and nice to see how much I learned since being in the lab myself! however it is only a 3 hr commitment a week like others have said...i can't imagine why being a TA would involve a 20 hr/week commitment! i'm currently taking 19 credits and about to start two volunteer jobs, so if TA ing was more than 3 hours a week i'd definitely reconsider...
good luck making the decision!

 

[butac]

Some of my TA hours are office hours which I selected. I put a few hours on Friday's right before the weekly quiz and that gets hammered, but my office hours earlier in the week are paid homework hours basically. So during the 20 hr a week you may be able to spend some of this time doing homework.

However, the 'worth' of it seems to depend on whether you want a good life experience or not. It wasn't a huge deal in my interviews, but when asked what I would do if not medicine, I could honestly answer teaching and back it up with my TA job.

 

[Twiigg]

Teaching is definitely worth it, if you're interested in an academic medical position. I hear they like to see that if you tell them you want to go into academia, because it shows you have grounds to judge your desire to do it. Same argument as trying to apply to med school with no medical related experience.

What exactly is an "academic medical position?" Would that entail working at a teaching hospital?

To the OP:
I think other things you mentioned, such as research, would be more valuable to adcoms. BUT, and he is the big BUT, what do you think you best benefit you? Some things to consider:

• Do I enjoy teaching?
• Do I enjoy the material?
• Will it raise my PS score significantly on the MCAT? <--I like this one!

 

[Twiigg]

like others have said...i can't imagine why being a TA would involve a 20 hr/week commitment!
good luck making the decision!

At my school, a chemistry TA would teach two 2-hour lectures/week, volunteer in office hours maybe 10-12 hours/week, and spend some extra time in meetings with the professor, grading homework and tests, etc.

 

[HeatherMD]

a TA at my school is responsible for teaching labs & marking and proctoring exams. Generally they do 2 labs per semester, each of which is 3hrs. They require about ~1hr or less of preparation and a horrendous amount of time for marking (probably like ~10hrs/week it's garbage). That's about 16-18hrs per week.

so I can see how TA-ing can crack 20hrs/week.. I think it depends on the school and what your responsibilities are.

 

[armybound]

I really wouldn't expect it to be too much of an EC, since TAing can be a much different experience for many people. I've seen undergrads "TA" a class and all they do is grade papers. When I TA'd I was in charge of actually teaching the class, administering tests, etc. Adcomms can't be sure what a TA position entailed.

As to whether or not it's worth it, I think it is. I think medicine is largely about teaching others what you know, so the experience is very much worthwhile.

Of course it also paid for my graduate degree 😳

I had a "15 hours per week" TA position and it really only took about 7 hours.

 

[smgfan]

*

 

[Loki2011]

Its not a bad Idea. I teach for princeton review and my interviewers loved it.. they kept driving home the idea that doctors are the ultimate teacher because they have to teach patients about their illness as well as how to take care of themselves..

As the above poster (and others) pointed out, many AdComs view teaching in a very favorable light for the above reason.

As far as whether it's worth the time commitment... it's all relative. The important thing is that, regardless of the EC, you need to get as much out of it as possible; MAKE it a valuable experience. When it comes down to your application and your interview, you need to be able to express what you got out of each activity, how much of a commitment it was, what you learned from it, why you enjoyed it, how it makes you a better candidate/future physician, etc.

In the end, AdComs are just trying to make sure that you did more than simply go to class; any medical school applicant can get a 3.8+ GPA if they don't do anything outside of the class. Whether it's one 20-hour commitment or four 5-hour commitments... whether it's research, a job, etc... it's all "beneficial". The point is that you're directing your attention/effort to something other than your classwork for 20+ hours a week, and that's huge.

Besides, you're talking about one semester, here, right? Not an entire year... so you'll have more than enough time throughout the rest of the year to prove that you're "well-rounded".

 

[Twiigg]

Loki2011, you a fan of Norse mythology?

 

[Loki2011]

Loki2011, you a fan of Norse mythology?

Once upon a time. Now, "Loki", or some variation of that name, is just a handle that has followed me from message board to AIM, etc.

 

[LizzyM]

TA is OK as an EC but it is not as important as scholarly activity (research), volunteerism, or exposure to medicine. If this is paid employment, 20 hours per week seems good, and doing well while employed 20 hours per week is impressive. It is a volunteer thing, then it seems like a raw deal and not worth it, particularly if it cuts into the time you have to do research.

 

[AlanAlanine]

I very much enjoyed my experience as a Gchem TA (I taught labs/discussions, graded work + exams, etc. ~20hrs/week). It was very fun, minus the grading. I highly recommend TA-ing if you enjoy teaching.

I also didn't have to really study Gchem for the MCAT since I knew it very well from teaching it an entire semester.

 

[lrkoehle]

Its not a bad Idea. I teach for princeton review and my interviewers loved it.. they kept driving home the idea that doctors are the ultimate teacher because they have to teach patients about their illness as well as how to take care of themselves..

I think this is definitely true, but it all depends what your TA position involves. I TA an O chem lab, so I get to teach. I really enjoy it. I am having trouble figuring out how it would actually be 20 hours/week though. I am in lab for 4 hours, 1 hour of office hours for my students, a short weekly meeting, and some grading.

Don't do it just to have it on your application, do it if you really enjoy the class you will be TAing, otherwise you and your students will be miserable.

 

[nlax30]

20 hours is a LOT of time to devote to just that during the week if it truly will take up that much time....

But, the other thing to think about is who are you going to get to write your LORs and whether or not this opportunity will help you get a really strong LOR from the professor. If it will then that's a definitely another positive on top of the teaching experience aspect of it. You just have to decide whether it's worth that much time and what your responsibilities that semester are.

During undergrad I TA'd a neuroanatomy lab for my physio psych class and I think that was one of my stronger LORs.

 

[dkb86]

Might be too much work. I loved being a TA, it was pretty fun.

Agreed, being a TA is awesome I had a great experience, plus if a lot of those hours are office hours, you probably will not be swamped with students the whole time. A lot of times during my office hours I was able to study for my classes for an hour here and there between students. I'd recommend asking current TAs how they feel about it. I agree that 20 hours is a lot though, I'd personally rather spend 20 hrs/week on research if I had to choose.

 

[BuffGold]

I really wouldn't expect it to be too much of an EC, since TAing can be a much different experience for many people. I've seen undergrads "TA" a class and all they do is grade papers. When I TA'd I was in charge of actually teaching the class, administering tests, etc. Adcomms can't be sure what a TA position entailed.

As to whether or not it's worth it, I think it is. I think medicine is largely about teaching others what you know, so the experience is very much worthwhile.

Of course it also paid for my graduate degree 😳

I had a "15 hours per week" TA position and it really only took about 7 hours.

I had a similar experience TAing physics, and the faculty TA coordinator was very clear that this was to be expected. In reality, the "20 hrs" includes grading time, and OHs, both of which are very flexible (you often have time to work on your own stuff during OHs).
It is a great experience, and a great way to make some money! Do it!

 

[wawawa]

TAing is a great activity. It shows ADCOMs that you are a responsible person and are able to balance your priorities while working a half-time job. I TA'd Human Anatomy Lab. Me along with two other TAs had complete responsibility for teaching the cadaver lab, creating, administering, and grading both lab and lecture tests. This was also the same lab that was used by the medical school. I solidified my knowledge of the subject and will it be a great help when I am in Medical school. So...I would say that research isn't any more important than TAing. Do what you like doing more rather than trying to fit into some pre-med cookie cutter mold as some people may advise.

 

[scrubsaresexy]

Why don't you do something because you like it, not just because it looks good when you apply to medical school?

LizzyM, please correct me if I'm wrong, but adcoms like to see well-rounded, unique individuals. Not just people who did an activity because it would look good.

Plus, life is too short to do things that you don't enjoy.

 

[BlueElmo]

Thank you all for the replies, they were very helpful.
But yeah, 20 hours a week in my school entails:

teaching a 4 hour lab a week
attending 3 hours of lectures a week
proctoring midterms and final
holding office hours
prep sessions.

These sound like a lot. But I can see how TA ing can show leadership qualities. Right now, I am leaning towards TA ing.

 

[xcrunner01]

I LOVE teaching and wouldn't trade it for anything. I think it strengthens your app in so many ways- it shows you are comfortable speaking in front of people, responsible enough to grade/plan lessons, etc, and that you have mastered the subject well enough to teach it to others, which definitely requires a stronger understanding than just taking the class. I think it also depends a lot on what subject you TA, though. It's important to teach what you love. Personally, I'm not sure if I would enjoy TAing a lab course as much as I love teaching in a classroom, but that's just me. If you really like the subject and like interacting with others, I think this is a great opportunity.

 

[Jonnymed]

I loved teaching, and it made me a better student / person.

However, at my 5 interviews, I have yet to have an Interviewer show much interest in my 2.5 years of TA experience. I thought they'd eat it up, but I guess it's not too big a deal.

Do it because it's a great experience, dont do it because you think the Adcoms will eat it up. Though, when i started TAing, it was largely because i thought it would help me with admissions, and I guess I shouldn't be a hypocrite.