ucbhi

I've heard for a long time that Berkeley undergrads think that the grad students get all the perks. Any Cal students know if this is still true in the undergrad upper division? Are the classes still large and/or taught by TAs? I'm curious because I'm trying to transfer into Econ for Fall 06.

DRab

Few lecture classes are taught by TAs at any level. The main exception is the basic writing classes (that many students are exempt from). These Reading and Composition classes are almost all taught by graduate student instructors.

In many classes, the students will be broken up into "sections," and these will be lead by graduate students.

I don't know how others feel, but I'm developing relationships which I really like with a few of my GSIs. They make my college experience much better, and I get the perk of having perhaps the best graduate students (and likely future professors) helping me learn.

sweetdreams87

heheh...my polisci2 class next semester is being taught by a grad student. but, from meeting GSI's through section, I've found many are very interesting and engaging

DRab

Yes, some lectures are taught by GSIs. Next semester, a class I might take, Rhetoric 20, will be taught by a GSI. It should be noted that, when a GSI is teaching a lecture course, it is usually a GSI very late in the game. For instance, the GSI teaching Rhetoric 20 is going to be hired next year as a lecturer by the rhetoric department. Sometimes this isn't the case, but it usually is. Anyway, as the Poli Sci 2, i haven't heard many good things about the two profs that usually teach it, so maybe you're getting lucky!