Worth it to TA during senior year?

[zogoto]

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I've TA'd a class before, but it was a lab class (altough it was an intense one, as my school has all the bio labs combined into one), so I never had any section or class of students to call my own. I've been offered to TA an undergrad genetics course, which would be during my senior year. I've been told this is about 15-20 hours/week, including class, grading, office hours, and answering random questions.

From a "getting into medical school" perspective, how valuable is this? It will be while applying, so I won't really be able to put anything about it on the AMCAS. Also, I'll be interviewing, so I'm worried that I will not be there for students when they need me. Obviously I'm also taking into account how much I want to do it vs. have the free time, but what are the facts on how much TAing helps for getting in?

 

[BlueElmo]

Do it if you really want to do it. If you are going to do it just to look "good for medical school", don't do it.

 

[Longshanks]

If you're just doing things to go through the motions or jump through the hoops, you won't get much out of it.. neither will you're students. TA if you really want to TA.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

If you're just doing things to go through the motions or jump through the hoops, you won't get much out of it.. neither will you're students. TA if you really want to TA.

Yeah, but that wasn't the question. He wants to know how it will help with his med school application.

I personally could care less what I take from any of this non-sense. I go through the motions to improve my application and prove that I really want to be in medical school.

 

[qmcat]

A lot of pre-meds TA, so it might not be that special or unique of an activity. But, I agree with the others to do it if you really want to.

That said, I also think that doing something during application time can help, especially if you end up on a waitlist and are trying to update med schools about your application. I continued research work through my application/senior year and it helped me get an edge at some places. Just some food for thought.

 

[interleukin6]

I'm actually in a similar dilemma myself... but I'm leaning towards the decision not to TA. Obviously for similar reasons- I don't want to over-commit to something I can't spend that much time on. You already said that you've TA'ed a class before, so I'm not sure that TA'ing another class will increase your chances of admission that much.
If you're already hesitant about it, it might just be better to focus on applying/interviews than to be half-committed to something just so it will look good on an application.

 

[Kaustikos]

I agree, if you only do it for admissions, stop and withdraw. There are plenty of people who actually want to TA that would better serve a classroom. Doing it for admissions is okay for volunteering or an unimportant job. However, in the case of TA'ing, I feel that students will feel frustrated and annoyed with someone who doesn't really care about actually helping students in so much as padding their app resume.

 

[Longshanks]

Yeah, but that wasn't the question. He wants to know how it will help with his med school application.

I personally could care less what I take from any of this non-sense. I go through the motions to improve my application and prove that I really want to be in medical school.

Sorry then. I need to stop just skimming and posting late at night.

 

[DrReo]

Anything can help your application, to some extent. Your application depends how well you "sell" yourself. If you stated on your application that you taught, big deal, I did too.

However, if you relate teaching to patient interaction and teaching the patient of their condition/medication/etc. this may benefit your application significantly.

 

[Kaustikos]

Anything can help your application, to some extent. Your application depends how well you "sell" yourself. If you stated on your application that you taught, big deal, I did too.

However, if you relate teaching to patient interaction and teaching the patient of their condition/medication/etc. this may benefit your application significantly.

I drew pictures to tell the patients where they can shove it, does that count?😕

 

[junkct]

if you don't have the time, don't do it. it's not going to affect your app that much, especially if you can't put it on amcas. now, if you were TAing for that lab class again, that might be worth it (shows that the prof/students liked you the first time around). If you're getting a LOR from this prof, it would def be worth it. don't worry about the students though. Genetics is hella easy; they'll be fine without you HAH (ok that was mean, but seriously, students tend to go to the profs moreso than the TAs... and especially in bio classes where everyone is pre-med and wants to get on the prof's good side)

 

[junkct]

Anything can help your application, to some extent. Your application depends how well you "sell" yourself. If you stated on your application that you taught, big deal, I did too.

However, if you relate teaching to patient interaction and teaching the patient of their condition/medication/etc. this may benefit your application significantly.

you would put this in AMCAS Work/Activities section? or would this be a personal statement thing... I know you're a school admin, so what's your take on what should be included in the Work/Activities section? In any case, I feel like the "I have teaching experience and teaching experience is important for medicine because blah blah blah patient interaction blah blah blah explaining conditions, etc." argument has been used enough and that simply putting down that you have teaching experience would kinda imply all of this, so you wouldn't really need to write it. Am I wrong?

 

[URHere]

From a "getting into medical school" perspective, how valuable is this? It will be while applying, so I won't really be able to put anything about it on the AMCAS. Also, I'll be interviewing, so I'm worried that I will not be there for students when they need me. Obviously I'm also taking into account how much I want to do it vs. have the free time, but what are the facts on how much TAing helps for getting in?

The fact of the matter is that you have already TAed one course at your university. While TAing another would show devotion to teaching, I really doubt it would add much more to your application. If you are in search of an application boost, I suggest finding something that either fills an application gap (clinical work, community service, research) or is an interesting talking point (taking on a new leadership position, picking up an interesting hobby, etc).

On the upside, serving as a TA can be a great way to make money while applying without losing too many hours of your semester. I would suggest that you think long and hard about what is more worth it to you - teaching and some possible cash or something new and shiny to put on your application. Also, you may want to consider whether or not you actually enjoy teaching - it was a great form of stress relief for me during my application cycle.

you would put this in AMCAS Work/Activities section? or would this be a personal statement thing... I know you're a school admin, so what's your take on what should be included in the Work/Activities section? In any case, I feel like the "I have teaching experience and teaching experience is important for medicine because blah blah blah patient interaction blah blah blah explaining conditions, etc." argument has been used enough and that simply putting down that you have teaching experience would kinda imply all of this, so you wouldn't really need to write it. Am I wrong?

I don't know exactly what the poster was implying, but my general impression is that TA work doesn't belong in a PS unless it has truly had a substantial impact on your desire to practice medicine. Instead, you would list "Teaching Assistant' on your work/activities section, and try to discuss the experience in interviews if possible. Interviews are the time when it would be beneficial to relate what you have learned from being a TA to your medical aspirations.