katekate212

does anyone know the process of how to become a ta? Do you apply or contact a specific teacher? I couldn't find anything on the columbia website, so any insight would be helpful, thanks.

Cali101

I tihnk you should probably get into the school and ask around. I mean, you won't be a TA ur freshmen year anyways.

katekate212

yeah I'm currently a student, is there a seperate forum for that?

Cali101

Hmm, don't you have an academic adviser? or even and RA? or upperclassmen? I think the most reliable information would be from them. Or even just ask your professors.

Shraf

1. decide which class you are qualified to TA
2. contact the professor(s) who will be teaching the class next semester and let them know of your interest

it is generally pretty difficult to get a TA position. any class that is 3000 or 4000 level will usually have a graduate student TA. TAs for lower level classes are usually upperclassmen who are in the department.

good luck

Columbia2002

Do YOU go to Columbia? If you did, you'd know that academic advisers at Columbia are generally worthless. You'd know that your RA is likely just doing the job for the free room and isn't necessarily someone you'd want advice from. And you'd know that most freshman don't know a whole lot of upperclassmen.

Cali101

^ Columbia2002 please get a life and stop attacking anyone that does not fit your ideals.

We are all trying to help this person.

pbr

Perhaps a new thread is appropriate, but Columbia2002's point has been made several times in guidebooks, etc. If the OP is a current student, Columbia2002's point seems valid. (Why else would a student go to this site for advice regarding an issue like this?) Columbia2002, what would you recommend for new students seeking advice like this, assuming the assigned academic advisor is unavailable or otherwise unhelpful?

Shraf

Cali101 seems to be a RD applicant from his other posts....

i think C02's post is completely valid....once katekate212 said that she was a current student Cali should've recused himself from giving advice....obviously you shouldn't be trying to give advice to a current student when you are just some HS kid who is an applicant...not even a pre-frosh!

there are more than enough current students and alums on this board that there is absolutely no reason for some high school kid to be giving advice to a current student. know your role...seriously

Columbia2002

Actually, this board seems to be a good resource. Wish I knew about it when I was a student. Maybe encourage your kid to post here?

If he's outgoing and social and involved in lots of stuff, he could befriend upperclassmen and rely on them. But most freshman don't really get that much exposure to upperclassmen, so this is hard.

Are there technologies that allow CU students to use each other as resources, like something similar to this board... maybe some sort of a facebook group? Facebook wasn't around when I was at CU, but maybe someone more current knows the answer.

Another option is finding somebody else in the bureaucracy besides your academic advisor who can answer questions. For example, some departmental secretaries know a helluva lot about a lot of stuff. And if they're nice, they might be able to be willing to help you out more than some official advisor who doesn't care.

I don't attack people. I attack statements. You see, you may think you're trying to help this person, but you haven't helped whatsoever.

admissionsgeek

C02, some pretty harsh words. I was very tight with my academic adviser and so I can easily say that what you described was not my experience; but then again I probably was more apt to using my adviser than the avg. folk - and in the end it paid off with internships, they let some requirements slide a little and had a good time. I also lived in the LLC my first year hence I had mostly upperclass friends. Yes my situation was unique, but at the very least it should give faith to people out there that if they are interested in forming relationships with older folks and getting started academically sooner than it is entirely possible. Columbia can sometimes seem like a ball of redtape, but when you learn how to negotiate it, well opportunities end up falling in your lap...like a research assistantship.

What Shraf said is pretty accurate. But a clarification. In my experience I only heard of TAs being in the sciences because of large demand for teaching aides in premed like classes relative to the very boutique graduate programs. Most of my friends led lab sections, one was a TA for an intro Physics class.

Re: Humanities, I ended up e-mailing a prof and asking to be a TA and was told that grad students are only allowed to do it in my major department - but the prof was so appreciative of my offer that he ended up asking me to be a research assistant for him helping him organize his research...I carried out the post for my junior and senior years. As far as I know I was the only such undergraduate assistant in my department, but it was something that came about because I asked.

Overall, these opportunities are rare and mostly available only on an initiative basis - what student is willing to ask for the opportunity. Initially someone said ask your RA or Adviser, and though they are nice people and can offer perspective - it really is all about the professor and whether or not they have the ability to take you on in a teaching capacity. Usually, I would only suggest it for a professor that you have a pretty solid relationship with already. Popping the question with someone that doesn't know you or without a reference from another prof could make the conversation more awkward. I do know some students (people you would not want being your TA for the most part) that were denied these opportunities for pressing too early and being upset about not getting it. Frankly, though, I was not surprised because they approached it thinking they "deserved" the opportunity. Have good tact about it.

Anyhow, Good Luck!

pbr

Thanks for your thoughtful responses, Columbia2002 and admissionsgeek. Columbia2002, I can't see my kid ever entering this website. He's too busy enjoying senior year. He decided a year ago he wanted to go to Columbia, got in ED in the fall, and has done nothing except enjoy his high school experience ever since. I'll do my best to convey the good info I get from this site late summer (probably at the airport).

Denzera

C02's points are generally accurate. admissionsgeek, I don't doubt your story, but it sounds like you recognize that your experience is unusual. Most freshmen don't know upperclassmen, most students don't establish meaningful relationships with professors, and many simply don't seek out TA opportunities.

Frankly, though, there are probably better opportunities on campus in many cases: if you want to make top dollar, tutoring pays better. if you want to get into grad school, work on actual research with the professor rather than TA'ing. If you want to get out of college and teach high school, maybe being a TA is a good introduction, but it probably doesn't make much sense for most of the student population. Grad students are often TAs because they HAVE to be, it's in their 'contract' of sorts.

admissionsgeek

Denzera - to clarify though, it is by choice, not because of a lack of opportunity. I think many frosh like being in their bubble and are still testing out the waters of "college" and NYC. I think access points to form relationships with people older than you are readily available - moreso if you live in the LLC, take upper level classes as a first-year and have the guts to ask for something (which few people do).

Yes it is in their contracts to teach.

Columbia2002

Good points. One more thing to add, a "TA" is a generic term that could mean you have responsibility ranging anywhere from essentially grading homework / problem sets to actually teaching discussion sections and co-teaching the lectures with the prof. An undergrad TA is far more likely to do the former, which would be a much less meaningful experience IMO.