<p>This quarter, I did an independent study for science. This one TA helped me out a lot. She was there almost every time I came in to the lab (3-4 hours per week), and she pretty much walked me through everything I did step by step.</p>
<p>Normally I wouldn’t get a gift for a TA, but I’m wondering whether, since she worked so closely with me one-on-one for the whole quarter, it would be appropriate or expected for me to get her something. What do you think? And if I should get her something, what should it be? She’s a grad student who is just graduating, btw, and I would guess not more than a few years older than I am.</p>
<p>It most definitely isn’t expected, but its a nice gesture. </p>
<p>I gave one of my professors a gift since I did worked with him one on one the whole year doing two independent studies. He even wrote me a letter of recommendation. I gave a klein bottle that I got from here, [Acme</a> Klein Bottle](<a href=“http://www.kleinbottle.com%5DAcme”>http://www.kleinbottle.com), since he is a math professor, and I mostly did geometry stuff with him.</p>
<p>The difference is that, based on the OP’s description of the TA, the TA went above and beyond what she was expected to do for her job. TAs are paid to help, but carefully walking one through one-on-one is a little extra.</p>
<p>I think a gift is appropriate in this situation. I always find things like cookies and chocolates to be generic choices that tend to work with <em>most</em> people.</p>
<p>I think it would be a very kind gesture. It may be “her job” that she’s getting paid for, but TA’s (much like professors) get a lot of flack from students for silly things every day, so sometimes a little gesture of appreciation can be a much-needed encouragement. I was a TA for a year and know what it’s like dealing with students who have bees in their bonnets or feel entitled to everything. The one time I got thank-you email from a student totally made my day. Especially if this girl went the extra mile to help you out, I think it’s a great idea.</p>
<p>I think if someone goes above and beyond you should give something if you can afford it. i.e. I gave 3 professors that wrote my grad school recommendation letters a $50 gift card to amazon. They all said it wasn’t necessary, but I think it was the right thing to do.</p>
<p>OP, would you mind clarifying the situation a bit? I guess I’m confused by the context, since in my experience, independent studies involve only one or two students and therefore don’t require TAs (because they’re generally supervised by professors). So when you use the term “TA,” do you mean that she was a TA specifically assigned to work with you for the independent study, or was she a grad student working in the same lab as you and who happened to take you under her wing? (When I did an independent study in a lab, I worked with one specific postdoc, even though my sponsor was technically the PI of the lab, a tenured professor whom I rarely encountered. When I left, I thanked the PI but got a gift for the postdoc I worked with.)</p>
<p>The reason I ask is that if she has any official role in determining your grade for the independent study, the gesture of gift-giving can be easily misconstrued (even if you mean it sincerely). And in that case, instead of giving a gift card or whatever, you might consider writing a very nice letter to her supervisor/PI about how much she has helped you. Speaking as a former TA (for a large introductory class), I actually would have appreciated such a gesture more than a gift card.</p>
<p>If she was just a random grad student who took an interest on your project but was not contractually obliged to help you, then I think a gift would be less awkward.</p>
<p>Some colleges have policies against this sort of thing. When I was a prof, I had a really awkward situation where a student presented me with three bottles of wine. It would have been really rude for me to refuse them (because of cultural conventions on his part), so I accepted them with great misgivings. I then donated them to our department end-of-the-year faculty party.</p>
<p>Honestly, I always appreciated a kind word. I think a thank you note or e-mail would be appreciated as much as anything concrete.</p>
<p>Demeter – She was assigned to help me, along with some other students doing independent projects. She may have also been a TA for an actual class; I’m not sure. I think her involvement with the other independent researchers varied; for example, one girl was merely continuing a project from a previous quarter, so she knew what she was doing and needed much less supervision. Then there were students like me who were just starting out this quarter and literally needed to be babysat through everything. </p>
<p>The professor who was supervising me was really nice, seemed genuinely interested in my project, and maintained regular contact throughout the study, but I didn’t see her very often and she wasn’t involved in the day-to-day workings of the project. </p>
<p>The TA doesn’t have any role in the grade I get (at least, I don’t think so). When I asked if she knew how grades were determined, she said she had no idea, which makes me think she doesn’t play a role in it. I think the grade is P/N, and I think it’s determined by a final report I submit to the professor who is my official supervisor.</p>
<p>So I guess she was contractually obligated to help me, but I still feel like she went above and beyond in terms of patience and how much she helped, because she literally walked me through basic, repetitive procedures that I should have known how to do but didn’t. She was also very flexible with what days and times I came in, and was just generally very friendly and patient even when we went through some frustrating experiments and I asked repetitive questions. On top of that, I kind of got the impression that she thought my project was a little silly, but I really appreciate the fact that she put all this effort into it anyway.</p>
<p>So idk. While I guess it was technically her job to help me, I just feel weird working so closely with someone and being so dependent on their help and then not acknowledging it somehow. What do you think?</p>
<p>Siemprecuriosa, I honestly think a heartfelt thank you card is really the best way to go, and maybe a letter to the professor, too, if you feel it appropriate. As Got2BeGreen suggested, a gift might even be a breach of protocol that ends up generating awkwardness.</p>
<p>(I don’t mean to harp on my own experiences too much, but what I appreciated the most as a TA was the heartfelt thanks from my students. That alone made the job worth doing.)</p>
<p>OK, thank you so much for your answer. To be honest, I already got her a gift card. The last time I met with her was today, so I only had the responses to go off of that I had gotten up until that point. I got her a thank-you card with a $15 gift card to a restaurant. Now I’m freaking out that it might have been breaking a rule, though. She did seem a little awkward when I gave it to her, although she didn’t open it right there. I guess it’s a good thing she doesn’t determine my grade, because I can see how that would be viewed as bribery, although that’s totally not how I intended it. Like I said, I just would have felt weird NOT getting her something because she worked so closely with me, but now I feel weird because I DID get her something. :/</p>
<p>Well, at least now I know for the future, I suppose. In the future, I will probably just write a nice card, like you said. I will definitely submit a good review of her in the end-of-quarter surveys, as well.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your responses, everyone. Hope I don’t get in trouble…</p>