Can I be a TA as an undergrad student? (and other unanswered questions about BU)

Colleges & Universities Boston University
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<p>Well, it’s looking like I’ll be joining the class of 2017. BU has been one of my top choices for quite some time…so you can imagine my excitement when I got accepted to BU’s particularly selective class this year (not to mention with a very generous aid package).</p>

<p>Still, I’m looking for some extensive opportunities to pay off my costs. One I would certainly consider is being a TA…but to my understanding, some departments at BU don’t allow undergrad students to be TA’s. I’m wondering…would this be possible for someone getting their BA degree in Mathematics and Computer Science? And even if this is available, how beneficial is it financially?</p>

<p>Also, is there some sort of merit scholarship towards my tuition if I make Dean’s List? I’ll be starting off with a GPA over 3.5 since I took some classes at BU over the summer last year. I saw some of the conditions for being on Dean’s List (First I’ll have to get 3.5’s or better in 4 classes without any outliers, then I’ll have to maintain it), but I saw nothing about getting a reward for it. Considering how ‘deflated’ BU’s grading is said to be, I am hoping that there is some kind of reward for getting good grades.</p>

<p>Throughout high school, one red flag kept coming up as I researched BU: financial aid. It’s strange to me that I got such a good package when so many people in the past/present complained about not getting ANYTHING at all (or barely getting something). My question is…how likely is it that, in future years, I’ll get a similar proportion of costs taken off (all things equal)? My fear is that I enroll, then find out that next year I’ll get a really bad financial aid package.</p>

<p>Any answer to any question would be appreciated :)</p>

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<p>You can be a TA in a class as an undergrad (not TF who leads the class) if you are recommended by the professor and get a good grade in the class. I assume an A but im not positive. There isn’t any reward that I know of.</p>

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<p>It does not pay hugely well, but you can maybe be a grader, like for a math class, even as a freshman if you are advanced above the class you are grading for.</p>

4

<p>One of the tour guides that we had at BU told us that he was paid as a research assistant while working on a project with his professor. Perhaps that is something that you can look into when you get settled into your classes.</p>

<p>I, too, was impressed with the generous financial aid package that my son received. I am an alumni of BU and I received no aid when I attended BU in the late 1970s. Of course, BU was a lot less expensive then but it was still a stretch for my family to pay for my tuition.</p>

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<p>Yes there are opportunities for undergraduates to become TA’s. This I hear is common in SMG and some lower level math classes. Of course it is expected for you to have taken the class and received an A. This usually happens by way of a teacher’s recommendation and (unsolicited) offering to students. Though you can kind of express your interest by speaking to them about it.</p>