Should I continue being a TA?

[mariambaby3]

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I am currently an undergraduate TA for second semester Intro Bio and I was a TA for the first semester intro bio last semester.

Should I continue doing it for next year (being a TA for first semester Bio again)? Will doing so help boost my application?

Or should I dedicate that time towards volunteering/research?

I've noticed that most people only TA a course for one time.

 

[music2doc]

I am currently an undergraduate TA for second semester Intro Bio and I was a TA for the first semester intro bio last semester.

Should I continue doing it for next year (being a TA for first semester Bio again)? Will doing so help boost my application?

Or should I dedicate that time towards volunteering/research?

I've noticed that most people only TA a course for one time.

Stop checking boxes.


Do this if you want to.


Stop asking these kinds of questions.

 

[capn jazz]

Many people TA courses multiple times.
Do you like TAing? Are you a good TA? Keep doing it.
Do you want to focus on volunteering or research? Do that.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

Stop checking boxes.


Do this if you want to.


Stop asking these kinds of questions.

+1.... I loved TAing though (Did chem not bio). Teaching is a great way to develop a lot of skills that are common to medicine like leadership and communication.

 

[el poblano]

Stop checking boxes.


Do this if you want to.


Stop asking these kinds of questions.

This is a valid question, and your comments appear to be the ones that need changing.
I would personally try to get in more research, as I was told several times on the interview trail that it was certainly one of the most important things to the school.

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[thlaxer]

+1.... I loved TAing though (Did chem not bio). Teaching is a great way to develop a lot of skills that are common to medicine like leadership and communication.

+2. I TA'ed for a math class for a couple of semesters and it was brought up very positively in several interviews. OP, how much time do you have before you apply? If you have no research experience (and are interested in it) and are applying soon, you might want to start looking for a lab.

 

[AnthroMD]

I agree with the above post. TAing looks very good for leadership, but it would be wise to find some research. Some may see it as box checking but in fact there are ways of circumventing these opinions. You could simply state that although you enjoyed being a TA and it gave you great experience with leadership and communication, you wanted to pursue other interests, e.g. research, volunteer, etc. There are leadership roles in both of those as well.

If you decide on research, it would more than likely take over your time commitments as a TA making it difficult to do both. However, if research is not something you value highly then I'm sure you could find a way to do find a leadership role with volunteer and keep TAing, since it seems you really enjoy it.

Good luck!
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[lalalaaaaaa]

One thing I didn't think of before is if this is paid TAing. I was paid pretty well as a TA considering it's just about the easiest job I can think of that is also pretty fun. If you're getting paid, I would stick with it because it's basically free money and not a huge time commitment. Maybe you can do this and research volunteer etc

Another thing you can consider is that after TAing a course once, it's MUCH easier the second time around and you don't need to prep as much because you're familiar with the material and course structure.

Makes for an opportunity to get a strong LOR.

It's also a good MCAT prep.

Conclusion: TAing is bomb.

 

[deleted357625]

Stop checking boxes.


Do this if you want to.


Stop asking these kinds of questions.

👍👍👍👍👍

 

[gettheleadout]

Stop checking boxes.


Do this if you want to.


Stop asking these kinds of questions.

This is a valid question, and your comments appear to be the ones that need changing.
I would personally try to get in more research, as I was told several times on the interview trail that it was certainly one of the most important things to the school.

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I agree very strongly with music2doc and disagree with you. I have been a TA for almost a year now, and I plan to continue until I graduate. For me it has been and continues to be an amazing experience, and I would never have gotten involved had I thought it would serve simply as a box-checking activity. This is a case of being overly concerned with what others are doing, when the benefit of doing so is minimal best. The OP should do what he/she wants without giving consideration to how other people do it. From the OP though, it would seem continued TA'ing isn't a very highly desired path...

 

[kexy]

Why is everyone so hostile? Are people not allowed to come to SDN to ask what will improve their application? Sheesh. I'm sure the OP likes TAing AND research AND volunteering and just wants to know, all else being equal, which activity is the most beneficial to their app. I don't see anything wrong with asking that. Moreover, I don't see what's so bad about box checking... I'm sure 95% of us did it to some extent. OP, if you love TAing, don't quit because you think medical schools would rather you do research. If you hate TAing, don't keep doing it because you think medical schools will want to see it. But, if you like all of your options, then hopefully someone will give you some insight as to which might make your app the most well-rounded.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

Why is everyone so hostile? Are people not allowed to come to SDN to ask what will improve their application? Sheesh. I'm sure the OP likes TAing AND research AND volunteering and just wants to know, all else being equal, which activity is the most beneficial to their app. I don't see anything wrong with asking that. Moreover, I don't see what's so bad about box checking... I'm sure 95% of us did it to some extent. OP, if you love TAing, don't quit because you think medical schools would rather you do research. If you hate TAing, don't keep doing it because you think medical schools will want to see it. But, if you like all of your options, then hopefully someone will give you some insight as to which might make your app the most well-rounded.

+1 ....I TAed and gave up hospital volunteering because I thought TAing developed skills a physician needs more than sitting around doing nothing in an ED does. That came back to bit me in the butt because I still needed to box check. Got to play the game.

 

[gettheleadout]

Why is everyone so hostile? Are people not allowed to come to SDN to ask what will improve their application? Sheesh. I'm sure the OP likes TAing AND research AND volunteering and just wants to know, all else being equal, which activity is the most beneficial to their app. I don't see anything wrong with asking that. Moreover, I don't see what's so bad about box checking... I'm sure 95% of us did it to some extent. OP, if you love TAing, don't quit because you think medical schools would rather you do research. If you hate TAing, don't keep doing it because you think medical schools will want to see it. But, if you like all of your options, then hopefully someone will give you some insight as to which might make your app the most well-rounded.

That's essentially what we're saying. The issue here is that the OP gave us no feedback on her experience TA'ing, giving the impression that the only concern for deciding on continuing is possible benefit for an application.

 

[music2doc]

+1 ....I TAed and gave up hospital volunteering because I thought TAing developed skills a physician needs more than sitting around doing nothing in an ED does. That came back to bit me in the butt because I still needed to box check. Got to play the game.

This is unfortunate. Schools may have expected, however, that you would not give up getting clinical experience and, instead, find something better.

Another thing to keep in mind is the simple fact that once at the interview stage, we all look VERY similar as applicants. As a result, minimal clinical experience hurts you mostly b/c others have it. To be successful, your activities need to add up to who you are. If the OP likes TA'ing, that is best for him/her (and vice versa). Do what you love. Put your heart into all you do. I would honestly propose that someone whose heart is into their clinical experience will find a way.

One of the girls I've mentored (and honestly believe will probably end up accepted at a few top 20 schools as long as the MCAT goes well, which it should) is a prime example of this. Across activities, she has put in a huge amount of time into every activity she does. (She happens to be internationally ranked in her sport, for instance.) When it comes to her clinical experience, she has worked in a free clinic where I helped her get connected. She worked the first 6 months doing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we needed. She worked as a receptionist, an eligibility technician, a pharmacy technician, a go-for, a medical records technician, etc. Finally, we got her into direct patient care. She has no license or formal medical training (of any kind), so it took awhile for us to get her into a clinical role. I now occasionally have her help orient new staff as well as all the typical things are clinical staff does. She has recently begun volunteering at a hospital and the staff there love her -- she actually told me she was a bit overwhelmed with all the praise she got for actually doing what she was asked and going to the RNs to find out how she could help them. (She wondered why they were so happy. She didn't understand why anyone would go and "volunteer" and then not do what they were asked.) People like that are the ones I met at many of my interviews. They were the ones that amazed me, not the 40 MCATs....

 

[ScholarStud]

Do all of you getting TA positions just not have many grad students at your school? All of my TA's have been phd candidates in their late 20s. I couldn't imagine being taught by someone just a couple years older than me; No offense to the OP or anyone else intended.

 

[gettheleadout]

Do all of you getting TA positions just not have many grad students at your school? All of my TA's have been phd candidates in their late 20s. I couldn't imagine being taught by someone just a couple years older than me; No offense to the OP or anyone else intended.

Oh we have grad students, we just have such a large number of undergrads that we need additional TA's. The course I TA'd for last semester had over two dozen TA's, and about half were grad students.

 

[music2doc]

Do all of you getting TA positions just not have many grad students at your school? All of my TA's have been phd candidates in their late 20s. I couldn't imagine being taught by someone just a couple years older than me; No offense to the OP or anyone else intended.

The schools I've been at all had grad students, but we still used outstanding upper division UG students as TAs for intro courses. Honestly, you're going to be learning from people only a few years older than you regardless. At some point, you'll be teaching people OLDER than you (and I don't mean patients). I've had students who are 5-10 yrs older than me in classes I've taught. Sometimes, they teach me things. It's really not that uncommon...

 

[capn jazz]

Do all of you getting TA positions just not have many grad students at your school? All of my TA's have been phd candidates in their late 20s. I couldn't imagine being taught by someone just a couple years older than me; No offense to the OP or anyone else intended.

Only the bio dept at my school had undergrad TAs.
To be honest tho, of the 5 TA's in one class I TA'ed, for example, only one was a grad student, and he was by far the worst TA. A capable TA is a capable TA. You don't need to be in a PhD course to TA intro biology.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

At my school chem TAs are 95% grad students and a few very good undergrads. I was really lucky to get an OChem TA position as a Junior English major right after I finished my ochem sequence... seriously, didn't declare a biochem major until 2 years later ...haha!

 

[S198]

I was a TA at Southern Cal in 2009 for upper division physiology. I learned so much from the students and liked if not loved some of the time I had in class. Sure it was stressful because a majority of my students were premed and seeking A+++'s yet 20 or 30 out of a group of 50 or so always wore a smile and came to class with enthusiasm.

I never regret being a TA. In fact, I hope to be able to teach anatomy or physiology in any capacity again someday.

I would suggest volunteering at a hospital for you. It shows what medicine is really like. I worked at Oakland Children's one day a week and at a research lab five days a week. It was such a contrast to see academic and clinical medicine.

 

[JSB72993]

I think that you could start looking towards research/volunteering/shadowing now. Of course, the decision is ultimately up to you but I think you would have a good profile with some volunteering and research experience now on top of being a TA