OChem TA

[GooseWing]

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Hey all,

Anyone ever TA for a lab course? I have the opportunity to TA for an ochem lab next semester and I'm wondering if it'll be worth the time commitment.

In reality, I had a way busier schedule this semester than it seems I'll have next semester and though I'd like to think that the time not TAing would be spent studying, I probably won't be doing much of anything at all (generalizing).

Therefore, I guess I'm really asking if experience as a TA is worth the time commitment as it applies to your med school resumé. Does it simply qualify as work? or might it also be thought of as taking on a quasi-teaching role of some sort?

Thanks for you input!

 

[NickNaylor]

IMO teaching experiences are very valuable and enriching experiences (and yes, I would consider this a teaching experience - unless all you're doing is preparing the experiments and getting reagents out). I would recommend doing it, but whether it's "worth it" or not is a decision only you can make.

 

[GooseWing]

IMO teaching experiences are very valuable and enriching experiences (and yes, I would consider this a teaching experience - unless all you're doing is preparing the experiments and getting reagents out). I would recommend doing it, but whether it's "worth it" or not is a decision only you can make.

Excellent. Thanks for the quick response.

 

[Shakespeare37]

I TA physiology and love it. It's a fairly significant time commitment at my schools (9-15 hours/wk) but in addition to teaching, which is fun, and building my resume, I also get paid. I don't know if I would TA if I only got credit. Nick is right, though, only you can say if it's 'worth it'. I really enjoy being a TA though. Great job.

 

[Lil Mick]

I really enjoy it, but it depends on what the time commitment is like. Sometimes, it would require 5 hours in a week on average; others would require more like 20 hours a week.

 

[n3xa]

I really enjoy it, but it depends on what the time commitment is like. Sometimes, it would require 5 hours in a week on average; others would require more like 20 hours a week.

True enough. As a grad student I was required to attend the lectures and prepare lectures/quizzes/worksheets for my discussion sections. I liked trying to make o-chem as painless as possible for students.

As a "TA" in my post-bacc program I'm really just a glorified grader more often than not.

 

[da8s0859q]

I liked trying to make o-chem as painless as possible for students.

👍

OP, it's not a make-or-break for any sort of application, but if you have an interest in doing it, do it. I spent a pretty good amount of time doing that sort of thing over a few terms, and it IS time-consuming -- lab prep, giving pre-lab lectures and making sure you know what you're talking about, grading lab reports and midterms and whatever else, making sure nobody kills themselves with the KCN catalyst -- but I really enjoyed it. Also helped that I had an awesome group of people doing it with me (and two awesome faculty members watching over us).

Was well worth it for my tastes, but that's me. I just enjoy teaching. Part of why I went to medical school.

YMMV and all that.

 

[LadiiKay]

How did you guys become TA's? I always assumed that you had to be a grad-student to TA for a lecture or lab. All the TA's I've come across at my school at grad students.

 

[Isoprop]

Some premeds are grad students. Some schools have seniors who TA a class. I got an offer to teach a freshman level class as a post-bacc student (I already have my BS) but declined.

 

[TTigers70]

I TAed for a non-science class and really valued the experience. I had a recitation, lead discussion, graded papers, etc. Additionally, I was sort of a "chief-TA" which was great because my professor came to me to ask suggestions on how to structure lecture and exams. Teaching is way better than just grading papers.

 

[UpQuark]

I did for Cell Bio.... easiest thing I've ever done in college. It was me and a grad TA making sure that the sophomores don't blow the lab apart. 😀

To be honest, I only did it to pad my resume (was desperate) and get a letter out of it.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

I would probably suck as a TA and make it impossible to get below a 90 in the class/lab. Be emailing students and demanding revisions and ****. Overly emphasis on the stuff they might get tested on...etc.

 

[alucidinterval]

I was a TA for a Chem II lab this semester and it was ok.. basically just answered any questions the students had about procedure for lab, calculations, etc. It was kind of a waste of my Thursday afternoon because you almost never get out of the lab early (always those kids that take the entire time..), but I'll probably do it again so that the professor who runs the TA program will write me a recommendation. It's definitely a good thing for a resume to put under teaching/leadership experience, and if you've got the time or a light schedule I'd go for it.

 

[thelullaby99]

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[Isoprop]

how did you guys prepare for the teaching? I'm almost sure that I will get a panic attack if even asked to open my mouth in front of people. I suck at presentations, never mind teaching. Unfortunately that is what I have to do in order to get a Master's degree here. I'm afraid someone will ask a question that I don't have the answer to, or when an emergency arise if I TA a lab --> this makes me really nervous.

A lot of practice. If I'm prepping a lecture then I go to an empty classroom and practice the material. Plan out your first lectures on paper. Using handouts also keeps you on task and keeps students engaged. Don't fill everything out on the handout and make them fill things in during class.

If you don't know something, just admit it and look it up later. You can speculate what you think the right answer is and look it up later. Review/refresh the material before you go to class.

For lab, you will definitely be trained on how to handle emergencies.

 

[thelullaby99]

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[Isoprop]

No that's never happened except for a seminar that pretty much any monkey could teach or a class that I tested out of.

It's not unheard of though. A chem PhD student friend of mine is TAing for a spectroscopy class even though he never took it. All of his spectroscopy experience was in the lab.

A lot of times, being a qualified TA just means you can learn the material faster than the students. However, you should not be an instructor of course you don't have a good level of mastery for. TAing and teaching are completely different.

 

[thelullaby99]

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