<p>The title says it all …</p>
<p>… is obtaining a rec from a teaching assistant (who is doing a PhD program in a field of study i want to go into) worth it for an app to the college the TA attends?</p>
<p>While this person can attest to your general inquisitiveness and scholarship ability which is good, what he/she can’t do for you is give context to your abilities relative to other HS students. What can’t be said:“This person is one of the top students in my X class I’ve seen in my 15 year career at this competitive high school” or “This student really stood out amongst the honors classes this year. He/she distinguished himself/herself in these three projects”</p>
<p>There’s a trade off, see?</p>
<p>On the flip side, they could also say that so-and-so is better than any of the undergraduates I’ve taught this year.</p>