Liberal Arts Education at a Large University

[vonlost]

<p>On TAs at U Chicago, CC member mini wrote in June:</p>

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“I was a top graduate student (highest academic fellowship) and TA at a top graduate school (Chicago) and you’d have to be NUTS to pay $45k/year to listen to or be guided/mentored by me in those days. 10 years later, and with better skills, and more self-assurance and the benefit of more experience, I taught at the Community College of Philadelphia. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that my teaching at the community college was better than my teaching at University of Chicago, and I’d bet the same was the case for 9 out of 10 TAs.”

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<p>And again in October:</p>

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The big difference is in ability to mentor. TAs for the most part are seeking mentors themselves, and are not in good position to do it themselves. The truth is that, at the age of 23, I could lecture as well (or better) than lots of the profs (including, if not especially, the famous ones), but I could not mentor or guide small group discussions nearly as capably (or offer useful feedback on papers), precisely what I was being paid to do.</p>

<p>My experience at Chicago was that the best place to be as an undergrad was in a very small department (like Egyptology, or even South Asian studies) where there were profs of the kind unavailable at an LAC, and the department - profs, grad students, and undergrads - were much more likely to be convivial.</p>

<p>Again, I was a better teacher (a MUCH better teacher) at the Community College of Philadelphia than I was at the University of Chicago, and I’d be very surprised if the vast majority of TAs at H. or anywhere else wouldn’t say the same.

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