Should I TA bio lab or chem lab or do research??

[sixpence]

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So I just got invited to TA chem lab and there a spots available for bio lab as well. So does TAing improve an app that much? I only plan on taking 12 credit hrs but with upper bio courses but with no labs. I don't really care about the money since it's not even that much.

Chem TA
- $8/hr
- have to spend time relearning chem lab stuff
- 6hr/ week
- must do whole year

Bio TA
-$8/hr
- 4hr/week
- not have to relearn so much
- only have to do 1 semester if i like

Clinical Research
- get 2 credit hrs a semester
- no pay
- possibly working for physician in dept. that i enjoy

 

[shemarty]

If you're going to TA, teach because you love teaching. (Not because it pays, or because it might "improve your app")

Students appreciate having TAs who are really enthusiastic about being there 🙂

So I just got invited to TA chem lab and there a spots available for bio lab as well. So does TAing improve an app that much? I only plan on taking 12 credit hrs but with upper bio courses but with no labs. I don't really care about the money since it's not even that much.

Chem TA
- $8/hr
- have to spend time relearning chem lab stuff
- 6hr/ week
- must do whole year

Bio TA
-$8/hr
- 4hr/week
- not have to relearn so much
- only have to do 1 semester if i like

Clinical Research
- get 2 credit hrs a semester
- no pay
- possibly working for physician in dept. that i enjoy

 

[lather4osu]

I guess it depends on how much time you have. When I was a TA, I also had plenty of time to do well in school and do research. I really enjoyed doing both, so I would probably suggest going after whichever TA position you feel more comfortable with (which I am assuming is Biology), and then doing the research on top of it.

If you don't enjoy teaching, or you are TAing just to add something to your application, I wouldn't suggest it because you will be incredibly miserable and your students won't really appreciate that.

 

[chitownGpremed]

do research! i've never seen the point of TAing honestly (besides that it "looks good" on your app). grad students should TA. you - do research, and volunteer and help some of those who are less fortunate.

 

[sixpence]

Yeah, I'm volunteering at a hospice already a couple hours a week. I'm leaning towards bio TA and research just because I dont really like gen chem and it seems too hard.

 

[DocM13]

Definitely do the research. It will help you out better in the long run for applying to med schools, especially if you can get something published

 

[URHere]

I think both options have some serious merit. If you like teaching, being a TA is an excellent opportunity to work on your public speaking while brushing up on either bio or chem at the same time. After TAing classes, I found that I knew the material so much better than I did when I actually took each course, and I think that being an organic chem TA really helped me on the MCAT. Plus, I discovered that teaching was one my my favorite ways to relax.

As for research, people either love it or they hate it. I would suggest trying it sooner rather than later to figure out which category you fall into. If you love it, you stand to improve your reasoning skills, your time management skills, your work ethic, and to really put some upper level science knowledge into focus. If you hate it, you'll pretty much just be miserable.

I guess my advice would be to try research first. If you hate it, try to TA at some point in the future. You can TA anytime, but you need years to build up solid research experience.

 

[Gobblox]

I'm a Bio TA...Go Bio.

 

[sully677]

As for research, people either love it or they hate it.

I agree with this. I Love research, but I am going to TA as well to get involved in some teaching opportunities.

 

[shemarty]

do research! i've never seen the point of TAing honestly (besides that it "looks good" on your app). grad students should TA. you - do research, and volunteer and help some of those who are less fortunate.

The "point" of TAing is to pass on your knowledge of and enthusiasm for biology (or chem, or whatever) to an entire classroom of students.

Plus, as somebody else mentioned, it's a great way to work on your public speaking skills as well as brush up on the material.

I love TA-ing and teaching in general. 👍

 

[chitownGpremed]

Definitely do the research. It will help you out better in the long run for applying to med schools, especially if you can get something published

thats what I was getting at. if I came off dismissive of you deep, undying love for sharing your knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, general chemistry or general biology lab, forgive me.

Shemarty, if you had the choice to do research or TA, but you couldn't do both, tell me what you would honestly choose?

That is how the questions was phrased by the OP - that it was either-or, but not both.

So can you honestly tell me that you would forgo those 3 years of award wining research you did for 3 years of TAing?

Maybe I'm a pragmatist, but I honestly can think of ten better things you could do besides TAing that would help out your application, speaking pratically.

 

[Diksha]

thats what I was getting at. if I came off dismissive of you deep, undying love for sharing your knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, general chemistry or general biology lab, forgive me.

Shemarty, if you had the choice to do research or TA, but you couldn't do both, tell me what you would honestly choose?

That is how the questions was phrased by the OP - that it was either-or, but not both.

So can you honestly tell me that you would forgo those 3 years of award wining research you did for 3 years of TAing?

Maybe I'm a pragmatist, but I honestly can think of ten better things you could do besides TAing that would help out your application, speaking pratically.

Yeah, but what if you hate research but love teaching? Research isn't for everyone. Do whatever floats your boat.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

hmm...If you TA I can see how it might help you out in PBL seessions...or atleast you can claim to in your secondary essays!! haha

 

[shemarty]

thats what I was getting at. if I came off dismissive of you deep, undying love for sharing your knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, general chemistry or general biology lab, forgive me.

Shemarty, if you had the choice to do research or TA, but you couldn't do both, tell me what you would honestly choose?

That is how the questions was phrased by the OP - that it was either-or, but not both.

So can you honestly tell me that you would forgo those 3 years of award wining research you did for 3 years of TAing?

Maybe I'm a pragmatist, but I honestly can think of ten better things you could do besides TAing that would help out your application, speaking pratically.

Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can't you do part time research with a physician in a dept that you enjoy while also doing part-time TA-ing in biology? 😕

Personally, I had more fun teaching than I did with my basic science biology research. But I've enjoyed my research a lot more since I transitioned to clinical research. So, I think it would honestly depend on the situation.

Doing research just to "help out your application" isn't really a good idea, because you might not like what you're doing and just end up miserable.

 

[capn jazz]

do research! i've never seen the point of TAing honestly (besides that it "looks good" on your app). grad students should TA. you - do research, and volunteer and help some of those who are less fortunate.

The "point"? Perhaps YOU shouldn't TA, but to not see the point? Grad students are NOT necessarily good. I've had tons of awful TAs who barely spoke English and TA'd because they were required to. Undergrad TAs? Are there because they WANT to be there, and are much closer to their students and understand much better how to connect with them.

Definitely do the research. It will help you out better in the long run for applying to med schools, especially if you can get something published

It will not be better in the long run. Premeds who do lab research are a dime a dozen. TAing is much less common, and it shows a LOT of different things: mastery of the material, confidence from the prof, public speaking, leadership, teaching experience, etc.

thats what I was getting at. if I came off dismissive of you deep, undying love for sharing your knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, general chemistry or general biology lab, forgive me.

Shemarty, if you had the choice to do research or TA, but you couldn't do both, tell me what you would honestly choose?

That is how the questions was phrased by the OP - that it was either-or, but not both.

So can you honestly tell me that you would forgo those 3 years of award wining research you did for 3 years of TAing?

Maybe I'm a pragmatist, but I honestly can think of ten better things you could do besides TAing that would help out your application, speaking pratically.

If I had the choice between researching and TAing I would choose TAing. I DID choose TAing. What the hell premeds do you know that are doing "award winning" research? I know people who have gotten publications (plural: more than one!) and still barely got into med school, despite high scores and grades. It is NOT the ticket in that you're making it out to be. If you can't figure out the vast and myriad reasons why TAing looks GREAT on an app (and is a fantastic experience) then you haven't thought hard enough. I'm so sick of the everyone-do-the-same-volunteering-research-kaplan-course premed route people seem to think is the bible. Newsflash: if these things were checkboxes on a list, getting into med school would be a lot easier than it is. No one should do research thinking it will get them into med school, and TAing will keep them from getting in.

 

[chitownGpremed]

The "point"? Perhaps YOU shouldn't TA, but to not see the point? Grad students are NOT necessarily good. I've had tons of awful TAs who barely spoke English and TA'd because they were required to. Undergrad TAs? Are there because they WANT to be there, and are much closer to their students and understand much better how to connect with them.



It will not be better in the long run. Premeds who do lab research are a dime a dozen. TAing is much less common, and it shows a LOT of different things: mastery of the material, confidence from the prof, public speaking, leadership, teaching experience, etc.



If I had the choice between researching and TAing I would choose TAing. I DID choose TAing. What the hell premeds do you know that are doing "award winning" research? I know people who have gotten publications (plural: more than one!) and still barely got into med school, despite high scores and grades. It is NOT the ticket in that you're making it out to be. If you can't figure out the vast and myriad reasons why TAing looks GREAT on an app (and is a fantastic experience) then you haven't thought hard enough. I'm so sick of the everyone-do-the-same-volunteering-research-kaplan-course premed route people seem to think is the bible. Newsflash: if these things were checkboxes on a list, getting into med school would be a lot easier than it is. No one should do research thinking it will get them into med school, and TAing will keep them from getting in.

I know plenty - including Shemarty (i might need to take a second look at her mdapps page, i know she did an honors thesis) and myself. Award wining doesn't mean Macarthur genius award dude, most schools give out awards for undergraduate research.

I respect your opinion about TA-ing. My only point is, research experience (and good performance) is an integral part of many applications. Performing at a high level during an independent research project, in my mind, is more important.

But each to his own.

Ask at least 80 percent of matriculants at the top 30 med schools in this country, they did undergrad research. I'm sure a some TA-ed too. But its not the other way around.

 

[shemarty]

I know plenty - including Shemarty (i might need to take a second look at her mdapps page, i know she did an honors thesis) and myself. Award wining doesn't mean Macarthur genius award dude, most schools give out awards for undergraduate research.

I respect your opinion about TA-ing. My only point is, research experience (and good performance) is an integral part of many applications. Performing at a high level during an independent research project, in my mind, is more important.

But each to his own.

Ask at least 80 percent of matriculants at the top 30 med schools in this country, they did undergrad research. I'm sure a some TA-ed too. But its not the other way around.

Well, I'd hardly call my honors thesis research "award winning." 🙄 It was something I decided to try out to see if I'd like it. I learned a LOT of valuable things about the research process, how to answer scientific questions, etc. But, I also learned that bench research was not something I enjoyed. It was too solitary of an activity, and I preferred being able to work with people. So, after finishing my thesis, I stopped working in that lab.

However, research is important though. So I teach undergrad bio lab in hopes that I can inspire other kids who *are* passionate about it to further pursue basic science biology research.

In this case, I enjoyed teaching more than research, because I wasn't super into the topic I was researching. My clinical research has been really awesome so far, though. It's just a totally different way of answering questions. However, its not like I've won any awards for this, either. I just do stuff that I think is interesting and fun.

 

[Bacchus]

Do whichever you'll enjoy more. You know the benefits of the research track: LOR, "free credits," app padding. TAing is equally as strong and it shows your ability to lead a group of individuals that are your own age group. Which, imo, is better than leading those younger than you. Leading your peers shows that you can command and keep attention amongst a group of people your age who have the same qualifications as you whereas those younger than you will naturally be submissive (usually).

 

[chitownGpremed]

i guess I'm really on my here. oh well.

im not debating the importance of teaching, and I know that teaching your peers shows leadership.

I tutored inner-city high school students for two years. I guess I just feel that most universities have the resources to hire TA's, often graduate students, while most inner-city high schools are very resource strapped.

I understand that some people enjoy teaching, but isn't there something to be said to allocating your energy to people who are slightly more disadvantaged than students at Stanford, for example.

Also, I still hold on to my belief, being a pragmatist, that extensive research experience (whether it is bench or clinical), is more valuable for an application than TA-ing. I was offering my most practical advice to the OP about the decision, and I'm sorry if I came off a little hard on TA-ing.

 

[lather4osu]

Just to reiterate what others have said... a part of it really depends on you. Don't just do things because they will look good on an application. In interviews, if you don't sound at all happy about an activity you pursued, that might be detrimental to your acceptance. That being said, I was in research for I think a total of three years. I completed a so-called "award winning" research project for my senior thesis, but to what point? I didn't receive the award until well after I was accepted to medical school.
If you want to know my thought processes for why I did research and why I was a TA, it is pretty simple. I wanted to pursue a research project so I could expose myself to those thought processes required to succeed. When working on your own research project, you really have to think about what is going on and need to understand each part of your project. Following through with a project looks good to people because it shows that you can commit to something and see it through to the end.

Becoming a TA has it's own set of issues. First, it has been mentioned that it is a great way to review what you have learned in the past. That being said, I think I know our entire undergraduate biology course inside and out in my sleep. Next, think about the communication skills you will have to develop to teach a diverse group of students. That will clearly be very beneficial for you when you become an MD; you will need those communication skills to explain things to your patients. I suppose you will hopefully develop them in medical school, but I know that I really enjoyed my experiences.

I guess to sum up... I suggest doing whichever you will enjoy most, keeping in mind the skills you will likely develop in each. I stand by the suggestion to do both, if you will have time.

 

[capn jazz]

Also, I still hold on to my belief, being a pragmatist, that extensive research experience (whether it is bench or clinical), is more valuable for an application than TA-ing. I was offering my most practical advice to the OP about the decision, and I'm sorry if I came off a little hard on TA-ing.

The thing is, you have no idea if this is true. More people will have done lab research at med school because it's a hell of a lot easier to get a lab research job than to get a TA position. Most TA positions are by invitation for undergrads, which says a lot about your character, that a professor deigned to invite you out of 100+ people to be a TA.

No one worth anything would claim that research is somehow more relevant to med school than TAing. You're going to spend the next 10 years of your life basically TAing the people a year below you up until you're an attending. Attendings teach residents, residents teach interns, interns teach med students. Sure, research teaches you things too, but they are both equally valuable in different ways.

Too many people do research just because they think they need to for med school, and not because they deeply wanted too, whereas I've never met an undergrad TA who didn't love what they were doing, or who was doing it just for the app boost.

And lol at undergrad research awards = "award-winning research"

 

[AlbaMD]

Why don't you do both research and Bio TA (since it's only 4hrs/week). Both would be great experiences, both will strengthen your application. Research looks good in general, and you may get a publication out of it. TA-ing is very rewarding, plus it'll help you keep up with the Bio stuff - that will come in handy when MCAT time comes (trust me, it helps - I know).

 

[chitownGpremed]

The thing is, you have no idea if this is true. More people will have done lab research at med school because it's a hell of a lot easier to get a lab research job than to get a TA position. Most TA positions are by invitation for undergrads, which says a lot about your character, that a professor deigned to invite you out of 100+ people to be a TA.

No one worth anything would claim that research is somehow more relevant to med school than TAing. You're going to spend the next 10 years of your life basically TAing the people a year below you up until you're an attending. Attendings teach residents, residents teach interns, interns teach med students. Sure, research teaches you things too, but they are both equally valuable in different ways.

Too many people do research just because they think they need to for med school, and not because they deeply wanted too, whereas I've never met an undergrad TA who didn't love what they were doing, or who was doing it just for the app boost.

And lol at undergrad research awards = "award-winning research"

okay, whatever you say 🙄

and Alba - I think doing both would be fine. The way the question was phrased by the OP was that it was either research or TAing, so I said research would be much more valuable. but Cap'n Jazz seems to think otherwise.