Should I go out of my way to be a Physiology TA assistant?

[lemonade123]

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I'm not a science major, so I have a lot of courses to complete; long story short, if I decide to become a Physiology TA assistant (which would count for easy upper division science credit) I would have to add in another extra class to my already-impacted class schedule (I'm already 2 classes over degree completion in 4 years). Would this, aside from the fact that it could be good for my sGPA, be worth the extra time commitment?

 

[MissMed]

I'm not a science major, so I have a lot of courses to complete; long story short, if I decide to become a Physiology TA assistant (which would count for easy upper division science credit) I would have to add in another extra class to my already-impacted class schedule (I'm already 2 classes over degree completion in 4 years). Would this, aside from the fact that it could be good for my sGPA, be worth the extra time commitment?

IMO, I wouldn't do it unless you are genuinely interested in being a TA. Although it does help your sGPA, it won't be beneficial to you or the students you are teaching if you don't particularly care about the position.

On the other hand, this could be a great opportunity to see if you like being in a teaching position. Some people learn well by teaching others, and if you truly care about it, this will come across to your students and they will receive a better education in return as well!

Good luck with your decision

 

[MissMed]

also, if you think that this will impact your schedule to the point where your academic performance will suffer, I would not do it.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

No not at all. I am a psychology major and you don't need to be a TA to look good. I do think if you do well in upper division biology courses maybe like genetics or biochemistry that some med schools require and tried to TA it would look better, but certainly not necessary.🙂

 

[mybubbles627]

I was a TA for general chemistry my sophomore year of college and a TA for Organic Chemistry my junior and senior year. I personally thought it was a great experience. It helps you practice interacting with students of various skill levels and find ways of explaining concepts in multiple ways to get them to understand. As a physician you are constantly going to be educating your patients about their health, why not start now. However, if all you care about is the GPA boost and if it will help your app, and you don't care about actually helping the students, then don't do it. They need a TA who is doing it for them and not just for themselves.