Question TA

[OSUkid]

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I recently have been offered a T.A. position teaching a chemistry course. Should I take volunteer hours or upper level credit. I really dont care about the credit, but when applying I can say I volunteered 10 hours per week TA'ing this course? Also I have very little volunteering hours.
What do you think?

 

[DocFarnsworth]

I recently have been offered a T.A. position teaching a chemistry course. Should I take volunteer hours or upper level credit. I really dont care about the credit, but when applying I can say I volunteered 10 hours per week TA'ing this course? Also I have very little volunteering hours.
What do you think?

Sounds like you've already made your mind up. Just do the TA position , sounds like the right choice.

 

[Low Flow]

Sounds like you've already made your mind up. Just do the TA position , sounds like the right choice.

He's asking whether he should take the credit or the volunteering hours as a TA.

OP, I'd be surprised if it really mattered either way--the position will go on your resume/CV regardless. If you don't need the credits though, might as well just volunteer.

And what kind of work are you doing as a TA that you're not getting paid for? Never saw that at my school.

 

[Smurfette]

Moving to PreAllo.

 

[davisfenos]

If you have little volunteer experience, I'd say take the volunteering.

 

[ifnotnowwren]

For the work/activities section of AMCAs, you will have the following categories to choose from. To me it seems like you would choose teaching regardless of whether or not it is for volunteer or credit. You can explain that it was for volunteer hours in the free response section you get to describe the activity but it doesn't seem like you would classify it as "community service" given the options. If you don't have that many volunteering hours, I would look elsewhere to gain volunteer experience that would be classified as community service.

2. What kinds of categories can I put things in?
- Paid employment (not military)
- Paid employment (military)
- Community service / volunteer (not medical / clinical)
- Community service / volunteer (medical / clinical)
- Research / lab
- Teaching / tutoring
- Honors / awards / recognitions
- Conferences attended
- Presentations / posters
- Publications
- Extracurricular / hobbies / avocations
- Leadership (not listed elsewhere)
- Intercollegiate athletics
- Artistic endeavors
- Other

 

[OSUkid]

For the work/activities section of AMCAs, you will have the following categories to choose from. To me it seems like you would choose teaching regardless of whether or not it is for volunteer or credit. You can explain that it was for volunteer hours in the free response section you get to describe the activity but it doesn't seem like you would classify it as "community service" given the options. If you don't have that many volunteering hours, I would look elsewhere to gain volunteer experience that would be classified as community service.

2. What kinds of categories can I put things in?
- Paid employment (not military)
- Paid employment (military)
- Community service / volunteer (not medical / clinical)
- Community service / volunteer (medical / clinical)
- Research / lab
- Teaching / tutoring
- Honors / awards / recognitions
- Conferences attended
- Presentations / posters
- Publications
- Extracurricular / hobbies / avocations
- Leadership (not listed elsewhere)
- Intercollegiate athletics
- Artistic endeavors
- Other

Hi,
I do not know how the application is formatted, I was thinking they ask you for volunteering, and I would just put in 10 hours per week as Chemistry TA, also I can put it under leadership right. I am not sure, what do you think? Also do you mind sending me a link where I can be more comfortable with the format of the application. Thanks

 

[PugsAndHugs]

Take the credit, when you fill out the application include the amount of hours you did. Just because you take the credit doesn't take away from the hours you spent helping. I took credits as a TA and listed the amount of hours on my primary application.

 

[OSUkid]

Take the credit, when you fill out the application include the amount of hours you did. Just because you take the credit doesn't take away from the hours you spent helping. I took credits as a TA and listed the amount of hours on my primary application.

Yes, but I have little volunteering hours. Like I said before I dont know how the application is formatted does it specifically ask for volunteer hours or just EC's?

 

[Lawpy]

Yes, but I have little volunteering hours. Like I said before I dont know how the application is formatted does it specifically ask for volunteer hours or just EC's?

Nonclinical volunteering usually means helping the underserved. A TA job doesn't satisfy that, as it is considered Teaching (similar to tutoring).

And you list both hours (rough estimate) and the description of what you did in the AMCAS Work and Activities Section.

 

[OSUkid]

Nonclinical volunteering usually means helping the underserved. A TA job doesn't satisfy that, as it is considered Teaching (similar to tutoring).

And you list both hours (rough estimate) and the description of what you did in the AMCAS Work and Activities Section.

I see would you mind sending me a link where I can be familiar with the application format.
thank you

 

[Lawpy]

I see would you mind sending me a link where I can be familiar with the application format.
thank you

It's in the stickied thread on top of the forums

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ork-activities-tips-thread-2015-2016.1130356/

 

[OSUkid]

I see so I should just do it for the credits. However I do believe I can list it under nonclinial volunteering, teaching, and leadership. 3 birds with 1 stone sounds pretty nice. I really dont need the credit because I can only take 1 credit for my actual degree even if I sign up for 3 credits it just counts it as 1 my advisor said. Will adcoms care?

 

[Goro]

Do it because you want to do it, not because you think it looks good to us.

I'd much rather see you volunteer in service to others much less fortunate than yourself. Get off campus and out of your comfort zone.

I recently have been offered a T.A. position teaching a chemistry course. Should I take volunteer hours or upper level credit. I really dont care about the credit, but when applying I can say I volunteered 10 hours per week TA'ing this course? Also I have very little volunteering hours.
What do you think?

 

[OSUkid]

Do it because you want to do it, not because you think it looks good to us.

I'd much rather see you volunteer in service to others much less fortunate than yourself. Get off campus and out of your comfort zone.

I understand, I am going to start volunteering at the hosptal as well as to get involved with helping people less fortunate off campus. Seeing as you are an adcom would it be wise to take the TA position for volunteer hours or just credit. I really like to help others so I genuinely want to TA.
Thanks appreciate it the advice, will try to get off campus

 

[Goro]

If you can get credit for it, get the credit. Tutoring poor 5th graders for free is different than your college classmates.

Seeing as you are an adcom would it be wise to take the TA position for volunteer hours or just credit. I really like to help others so I genuinely want to TA.

 

[Ismet]

I see so I should just do it for the credits. However I do believe I can list it under nonclinial volunteering, teaching, and leadership. 3 birds with 1 stone sounds pretty nice. I really dont need the credit because I can only take 1 credit for my actual degree even if I sign up for 3 credits it just counts it as 1 my advisor said. Will adcoms care?

You can only pick 1 classification. Usually people list TA under teaching or leadership.

Do the credit option. It doesn't matter what you classify it as, it's the same job either way and committee members will look at it the same whether you veil it under "community service" or not. And it's not community service, so it may be seen as someone just trying to check off a box. I'd suggest a different form of non-clinical volunteering.

 

[Dral]

You could put up flyers saying you will tutor your colleagues. Similar but just not as formal.

As others have alluded to, this type of volunteer work says you excel academically. It doesn't say as much about your 'altruism'. Your grades already speak to that presumably.

Do it for credit. Do more meaningful volunteer work to list on your app. Helping college kids get a B instead of a D in a class is less impressive than helping a less privileged person with something that is more meaningful to their life in general.

 

[bwc]

Are you unable to opt for getting paid for the position? I hold a TA position at my school and we have the option of receiving credit or pay for the position. In my case, receiving pay was the better deal. Doing it for credit was basically like paying the school to work for them. In addition, if I were to take it for credit, it would be graded on a mandatory credit/no credit basis instead of letter grades - wouldn't help my GPA, so there was no incentive to electing this option.

However, if you can only choose between doing it for credit or merely counting it as volunteer work, then doing it for credit may be the better bet provided that you are not paying by the hour. If you will be part time and paying for each credit hour that goes on your transcript, then it is not worth doing it for credit. You should also check to see how it is graded - does the professor actually assign you a letter grade based on your performance, or is it mandatory pass/fail / satisfactory/unsatisfactory / credit/no credit?

 

[rocklobstr]

He's asking whether he should take the credit or the volunteering hours as a TA.

OP, I'd be surprised if it really mattered either way--the position will go on your resume/CV regardless. If you don't need the credits though, might as well just volunteer.

And what kind of work are you doing as a TA that you're not getting paid for? Never saw that at my school.

My school doesn't pay TA's, we can only do it for credit

 

[OSUkid]

Thanks for the help everyone, I do appreciate it. Im going to take the credits, if I took the volunteer hours I would just have neglected doing some actual non-clinical volunteering.
Thanks again really opened my mind.

 

[Low Flow]

My school doesn't pay TA's, we can only do it for credit

Dang, we must have been lucky then. I was getting $16.50/hr at 10 hrs/wk when I was a TA in undergrad lol

 

[PugsAndHugs]

Dang, we must have been lucky then. I was getting $16.50/hr at 10 hrs/wk when I was a TA in undergrad lol

What?!?! That's awesome!

 

[rocklobstr]

Dang, we must have been lucky then. I was getting $16.50/hr at 10 hrs/wk when I was a TA in undergrad lol

****, that's awesome. Closest thing to that at my school is tutoring, which is like 9$ an hour.