The Lowdown on College Teaching Assistants
November 6th, 2008
Colleges and universities often contract the services of a teaching assistant to aid the lecturers and professors in handling classes and other related tasks. Many college students apply as teaching assistants to help them pay off student loans, pay their tuition, and cope with other financial expenses incurred during college. Applying for teaching assistant posts is advantageous because it can provide students with teaching experience and insights on how the college education system works. Below are more information you need to know about teaching assistants and what their job involves:
Teaching assistants: What they do
As mentioned, the main job of teaching assistants is to help professors and lecturers carry out their tasks. These range from administering tests and exams to supplementing the crafted course syllabi and outlines. College teaching assistants are also often tasked to reproduce and distribute the required course readings to students, as well as prepare audio and visual teaching aids. In cases when the professor cannot attend and teach classes, teaching assistants may also be asked to take full responsibility of lecturing the class. Teaching assistants also grade examinations, papers, and reports.
Teaching assistants: who they are
Posts for teaching assistants are open to qualified individuals who want to earn extra income and gain relevant teaching experience. Students aiming to hold teaching jobs after graduating often apply as teaching assistants, as well as those who need financial aid in their studies. Teaching assistants may be students at the particular university or college, although they may also be “outsiders” looking to gain experience in teaching.
Although teaching assistants tend to be young, you should also treat them with the same respect you give to your college professors. Teaching assistants often give recommendations and student evaluations to professors, so you should never underestimate them and think that they won’t be able to influence the grades you’ll get in your classes. Many students also prefer discussing their course-related queries and issues with teaching assistants rather than their professors, because the former tend to be less intimidating and thus, more approachable.
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Shifting majors or courses is a common tendency among college students, especially those who are in their first or second year in college. A review published by an Ivy League school found that freshmen and sophomores tend to shift courses three to four times during college. There are many possible reasons why students switch majors; the most common of which is the realization that they’re more interested in another field than they are in the course they’re currently taking. This often happens when students don’t take time reading through the college’s course offerings before enrolling, or when they are exposed to fields of study that they never before realized they were into.
Students have various reasons for transferring colleges or universities; some are valid, while some are workable and not so valid. Common reasons include homesickness, issues with professors and school authorities, weak course programs, and unbearable workload and course requirements. Whatever your reason is, the first thing to ask yourself if you’re planning on transferring colleges is if you have a good reason for changing schools. Is it worth the hassle and expenses? If you’re convinced that you have a good reason for transferring, like weak course programs, here are a few tips to help you get started:
Nothing gets high school graduates all psyched about going off to college than hilarious college fraternity-themed movies. Tons of movies have been made about college frat life; some are hilarious, while some show the more serious aspects of how juggling frat life, personal responsibilities, and academics can get a bit too difficult. Below is a list of five of the most popular and hilarious Hollywood movies that follow the college frat theme:
Politics is existent in every aspect of modern life, especially in areas where resources are quite limited. When you go off to college, you’ll most probably be faced with situations where petty politics is practiced. Whether it be in the classroom, in student organizations, or in student elections, college students often witness and experience issues of power relations, which are often the root and cause of petty college politics. To help you avoid getting involved in petty college politics, here are some simple tips you can follow:
Although financial costs are an important factor to consider when choosing a college, there are also other important aspects of college profiles that should be noted and taken into consideration when deciding which college to attend. Depending on you and your family, such important aspects may include the reputation of the school, educational facilities, accreditation, and size of the institution. Below are brief discussions of other factors that you should consider when choosing a college.
Going out of your comfort zone and finding yourself in an entirely new environment is never easy. This is why you’ll find tons of articles and books that are all dedicated to providing tips and tricks on how to make your transition from high school to college a lot easier. While there are no fool-proof, clear-cut approaches to surviving freshman year, there are tons of simple tips you can follow that will increase the chances of making college freshman year a lot easier for you. Below are examples of often overlooked yet highly effective tips on surviving your first year in college.
Tons of studies have been conducted to prove whether a bachelor’s degree really translates into higher income. And almost all concluded that having a college degree on your resume translates not only to getting a higher income, but also to having a wider range of employment opportunities. According to a report issued by the US Commerce Department’s Census Bureau, a high school graduate earns a total average of $1.2 million in his entire working life, while the average lifetime income of collge graduates falls at around $2.1 million.
Aside from saving tuition money, tons of high school graduates go to community college to make productive use of their time as they figure out which field or discipline they want to major in. Instead of going straight to universities and enrolling under a four-year course program that you’re still unsure of, a good option you can take is to attend community college to explore different courses and fields. To help you decide whether to go to a community college or not, we’ve outlined some of the community college pros and cons.
Getting through college and surviving the daily workload is hard enough, and it’s even more difficult if you have to deal with added family responsibilities such as looking after your kid or your elderly parents. There are lots of student parents who have succeeded juggling their college education and family responsibilities. If you have kids or are tasked with looking after elderly parents, below are some tips you can follow to help you get through college without neglecting your family responsibilities: