RNadine21

I like the idea of finding interesting things to motivate yourself with. I also highly suggest relaxing and giving yourself some breathing space. My classes started piling work on me during my last semester, and I let myself get so stressed out that I started having panic attack symptoms - chest pain, breathing problems, numbness in my arm. It was bad. Give yourself a break and enjoy your last semester.

It depends on what I'm doing. I wear decent clothes on days that I teach or meet with people. If I'm just taking classes, I'm in sweatpants or yoga pants. Haven't figured out what I'll do once I move into more of a lab setting. I'll probably dress nicer just to feel more professional.

Yea, this was the first year my school switched to computer-based evaluations, and my lab coordinator noted that there were obviously less responses. At least my undergrad let you view grades early as an incentive. I'm definitely doing more walking around now and putting ten times more effort into preparing for labs, but now I constantly feel like my students are judging me. I can't shake the feeling :/

Thank you all for your comments! I definitely understand how sitting at the front of the room looks like "I don't care." I suppose in that sense everyone saw that I dropped things the second someone asked for help, so I assumed everyone understood that I'm more than happy to help, but I don't want the situation to turn into me doing everything for them, I'd like them to at least try by themselves first (this is in addition to my admitted attempts to catch up on my own work, which will not be a problem this semester). The largest chunk of my time was definitely spent helping students, but I'll start walking around more and engaging my students. I definitely had many positive comments, both to my face and on the evaluations, but I suppose the negative comments hurt me because I genuinely care about how my students do. I felt like I did everything but hand them As - I started adding extra credit to quizzes, gave out more extra credit assignments, curved practicals, stressed that I'm more than happy to help in any way, made study guides (which other TAs put down). I actually sat with my grade sheet before turning in grades stressing because I had no other way to hand out points and people were still barely passing. It also sucks that my first class of the week had the most critiques. Although it hurts, it doesn't surprise me because my first class was always a mess. I would always have an idea on my head of how the class would go, what my kids could handle, etc....it rarely ended up that way. I guess overall I'll just do a better job of preparing and interacting with students.

I just read my evaluations and my self-esteem as a teacher has plummetted. Now I knew that since my students were not required nor had any incentive to complete evaluations, I'd get people who were either very happy or very upset with me. That knowledge did not prepare me for what I read. One student noted that I didn't care and just sat in front of the room. I personally didn't spend the class (it was a lab) walking around because I was usually trying to catch up on work, but all kids have to do is raise their hand and I come running. I stayed after class with students to make sure they understood the material, and I made it known that I would do the same for all of my students. Others felt that I didn't know what I was talking about or doing. Granted, it was my first semester teaching and my hardest semester of classes, but I'm genuinely upset that I have students who thought so poorly of me when I was doing my best to balance everything. I already know some of my faults that I plan on fixing this semester, but now I don't know what to do. I thought I was doing decently well but now my confidence is shot. Advice?

I remember when I was younger (early college) and wanted a PhD, my uncle looked at me and said something to the extent of "We'll have to pay for more school?" Nevermind the fact that my family stopped helping me with tuition my second year of school (not for any bad reason; they couldn't help after awhile), nevermind the fact that my uncle is not my parent and therefore is not obligated to pay anything, but he still acted like I was putting a burden on him. Then there was my roommate during my application process, continuously making comments about how she was "soo glad" she was going to be done with school and that I was crazy to want to stay in school. We'll just ignore the fact that she was applying to MS programs too until her boyfriend refused to follow her to her dream school and she didn't get into the one school he wanted her to go to. She's now working at Best Buy while he's in school (not knocking off Best Buy employees, I just wouldn't make such a huge life decision for someone I had just started dating).

Hmm, your post does sound like this person is just being friendly/welcoming, but on the other hand you should never ignore gut feelings. I agree with the above on asking others about this person so you can get a general idea. Don't freak out yet, but definitely stay on your toes around him if his behavior continues to bother you.

This. I used to love when it snowed, probably because it doesn't happen too often where I grew up. And then the Blizzard of 09 hit my area, and I was trapped at home for a couple of days. Not so fun. I would visit if possible, however a visit is still not the same as living somewhere year-round. I left DC for south FL for undergrad in search of beautiful warm weather and to escape gross winters. I had visited in April, when it's comfortably warm compared to DC which is usually in the thick of a cool and damp spring. What I didn't realize is that I was trading in four seasons for two - rainy/hurricane and dry. I couldn't go to the beach often during fall semester due to daily showers and it didn't seem right looking at Christmas lights on palm trees when it was still 70 degrees. The one thing I was prepared for was the humidity - DC summers are uncomfortably humid. After four years in South FL I've relocated to South Carolina and I feel like I've found the best of both worlds - it doesn't get quite as cold as DC but there are different seasons. However, if that's the one thing you have a issue with, you can work with it. There were other reasons for leaving FL other than the weather, and I still think of it as one of my homes and can't wait to visit (key word - visit lol).

I forgot to mention this, but it's very important. If you're running behind due to your own work, let your class know. I remember having a TA who was two or three weeks behind on grading, but she flat-out told us that she was preparing to defend her dissertation.

Have you not been able to find a church to attend? You might be able to talk to a minister/reverend about your stress, and you can attend church activities as an escape. Many of my friends in my program attend services regularly, and it's become an enjoyable part of their week....heck, I've been considering going back to church.

Damn, I thought my professor (who was also my internship mentor and wrote recommendations for me) constantly telling me I'm still an undergrad was rough. I know it's him trying to push me to the next level, but it still stings :/ I know how you feel. I failed my first test in both of my classes and called my mom in tears ready to leave. I basically had crying fits all through this past semester thinking I wasn't doing well enough, but I finished with a 3.1, good enough to keep my abatement and TAship (woot!). I've basically gotten over the "Get the highest GPA1" mindset - now it's "Keep your money so you can start focusing on finding/starting a thesis project." Now I get a semi-break with an easier semester before my oral o_0

I don't know how helpful this will be, but it's the truth...nothing will prepare you for TAing, you just get the hang of it as you get more experience. Let me explain my situation... I received "TA training" days before the first week of undergrad labs. We had two days of instruction from the lab coordinator about techniques that were more applicable to lectures than labs. He also talked about different things for major and non-major labs, when we hadn't figured out yet who was teaching what, so I sat there randomly writing notes, having no idea which tips would be applicable to me. At the end of the second day we finally completed scheduling and I got the first semester for biology majors. We all went into another room for 15 min of prep for the first lab and that was it. I walked into my first class nearly shaking, not remembering how to work the microscopes (it had been so long since I'd used them myself, how was I supposed to teach others how to use them?!). I remember being completely terrified, but I got over my fear. A lot of my improvement was due to the TAs working together. We had older students who had taught before and gave us hints. We also wrote each other notes if something went especially right/wrong so that others would be more effective. I do have some other overall tips: - Be nice to yourself. You're not God; you'll mess up, and for the most part students will understand. - Be flexible. I made a lot of changes to my teaching methods as I went along and I realized what my students were and weren't capable of. - It's easier to start out tough and lighten up than the other way around. - Have all of your rules (think of every possible scenario - I promise they'll all come up) spelled out in writing. Undergrads will grab every opprotunity to argue things; if it's all in writing you can just say "Well it's in the syllabus" and you won't be caught off-guard. - Don't be afriad to stand up for yourself. I've had to raise my voice or yell a couple of times; I have friends who have had students get in their face and they straightened them out of the class. I also have a friend who's more on the quiet/soft-spoken side, and even she knows that she gets walked on but it's not in her nature to do anything. So if you're on the timid side, please learn to raise your voice now. - Just be you. By the end of the semester I was laughing with my kids and chatting with them before lab. Teaching became something I looked forward to instead of just a job to pay the bills. - If you can, find something that's distinctly you. I play Pandora anytime I'm not talking. A guy I TA with plays funny YouTube videos after giving quizzes. It's not necessary, but it makes the environment more relaxing for the kids and myself. Hope this has been somewhat helpful!

As others have said, this will depend on you. You don't want to be completely isolated since you'll lose your mind if you have nothing outside of classwork/research. On the other hand, you should consider whether you feel like you'll be easily distracted by a sudden surge of activities. Personally, I grew up in a city and went to college in another city, so I'm very used to having an endless amount of things to do but being able to focus when necessary. I know that I'd lose my mind in a rural area after a while - for me, the middle of nowhere makes a great vacation and nothing more. Once again, I'm in yet another city and I'm absolutely in love with it, partly because it reminds me of my home city (yes, I've done quite a bit of moving along the east coast). See if you can find contact info for current students and ask them how they feel about their social life. I did this during my application process and it actually caused me to switch up my list because the students at one school were openly bored outside of classes (and they actually seemed a bit bored with their classes :/ ). The location of the school was also pretty isolated - not my style! So definitely take a good look at yourself and your personality, then talk to current students. Good luck!

Thanks so much for your encouragement! Things are definitely looking up now. I think I was just having a difficult time adjusting and realizing that as one of my teachers told me, "You're not an undergrad anymore". I feel a lot more confident in my new friendships, I get along so well with my roommate, and I even have a crush to keep me occupied I'm even the secretary of a new gras school group. I love my new city as much as I did the first time I ever visited. I aced my second test in one of my classes. At this point I'm only worried about my other class and my finals in general, but I'm doing what I can at this point to stay on top of everything. I'm still in the midst of finding a thesis project, but at this point I'm concentrating on classes and will get back to that next semester. I absolutely love teaching, and so many of my students have asked me to teach their labs next semester. We got this

Yea, it turns out that I was supposed to have the kids make new tubes....but still, he could've told me that. Everyone else I talked to had taught early in the week so they used the pre-made tubes. I talked to the other prep girl, and she agreed that he doesn't seem to care and that she definitely ends up doing more work than he does. I've thought about bringing it up with the lab coordinator but he honestly doesn't care. Everyone hates him for his lack of effort. Example: Yet another TA has become completely lazy and uninterested. He doesn't provide his kids with enough information, he sulks in the back, he doesn't start figuring things out until an hour into the lab (I know because he'll call me asking where things are or how to do something an hour into his lab) and he's outright told me that he doesn't care anymore. His kids went out of their way to email the lab coordinator and complain. His response? "That's what evaluations are for." So I don't know how helpful he'd be. At this point I'm just hoping we (me and the original guy pissing me off) don't teach the same lab next semester.

So I've been having issues with a fellow TA, and I've hit my breaking point today. Overall, we're very good about helping each other. We leave each other hints, we talk over things or email if people who have taught earlier in the week figure out ways to make the lab more efficient, we leave each other extra solutions and ingredients. There's one kid though who has an attitude of "I don't give a crap." Unfortunately, he teaches before my first lab of the week, so I usually get the brunt of his carelessness. I often come into lab 30 min early to set up, but half of the time that's not long enough since this guy puts tuff away in different places without saying anything. I usually end up texting him and getting a response of "Oh it's here", like I should know that. He gave me a wrong answer for a practical, but luckily I asked other people so it only affected one group of tests which I quickly corrected. He's a prep person, so after our prep meeting he and another girl make large batches of the solutions used and they can make more as needed. I consistently see him leaving after 30 min, leaving the other girl to work by herself for another 30 min. Well today I officially wanted to kill him. Part of today's lab involved making a cross of Drosophila and putting the knocked out flies in new tubes with a yeast mix. So my kids start working on their flies and I start looking for the new tubes....I only find 3 and I need 12. I'm freaking out because I didn't make the first batch so I don't know how to make more. I text all the other TAs to make sure I just haven't found them, and all this guy says is "I don't know where they are." You were in the room before me, you used the same tubes, and you don't know if there're any more tubes?!? My kids were resourceful and partitioned the mix we did have among new tubes, but I felt so embarrased and angry. I don't know how much more I can take. Am I being too harsh, or am I right to be pissed.

Talk about hitting the wall over and over again. I failed my first test in both of my classes. People are already finding funded projects and I just had my first meeting with a faculty member with no money. And let's not even get into the social issues. My paranoia has kicked in full force and I'm convinced no one likes me, and everything that people do or don't do solidifies it in my head, but I can't say anything because that'd be childish. This was supposed to be a great new adventure, and now I just feel like I've made the worst mistake ever. The only thing keeping me here is the fact that I've never given up on anything before.

The thing is, he actually is a pretty accomplished guy. He is doing great work and has many contacts, and his advice about finding a mentor has been beneficial. But that's about as far as his good advice goes IMO. What really got me wondering about his character is his tendency to shoot down people's teaching ideas (most of us are lab TAs) and give his ideas instead - thing is, he's a ridiculously hard and insensitive TA from what he's told me. I'd hate his guts if I was his student, and honestly I'm doing the best I can with the little preparation I got for this job, so I don't appreciate his putting down my ideas.

Yea, I've heard things ranging from "He's enthusiastically friendly" to "I don't like him at all" from other second- and third-years. Personally, I also find it a bit odd that he doesn't really hang out with anyone in his cohort. I never really see third-years since they're most in the writing phase, but still, I always found that a bit odd. I've been feeling more like he's trying to mold our opinions of the program and it's starting to annoy me.

So I've been in my program for a month now and I'm starting to wonder if this one guy I've been taking advice from is the best person to listen to. For background, he's a third-year student who friended all of us first-years before we started orientation. That in itself isn't so creepy. Then he started sending us invites to his house parties and birthday party. Weird as we hadn't met him yet, but whatever. So we get to the pizza party hosted by the grad student association for our program, and after we introduce ourselves he goes down the row giving our full names, despite the fact that I only gave my first name. OK, now I'm starting to feel weird. But we hang out anyways, and he gets a little better as things move along. Then he starts giving us dirt that's been getting to me. Like how some older students have make predictions about who will hook up with who, who will fail orals and so on. He's told us that no one gets an A in Ecology. He's told us that many people have failed out. And now that I've gotten sub-par grades on my first exams, all I can think about is his "advice". The more I listen to him, the more BS I feel like I'm hearing. He also constantly wants to hang out, and while I love most people in my program, I don't want to get tired of people too quickly. So should I continue listening to this guy and taking his advice? Because it's really starting to get to me honestly :/

I'm sorry that you're having a bad experience with your roommates, butthat's not always the case. I've definitely had bad roommate experiences, but I've also had really good ones. Growing up in DC (and having friends who stayed there for college), I feel like it's really hard to live by yourself without a decent pay check. Can you perhaps split a place with just one other person? I went from living with three other people to one, and I definitely feel like I have more space since I'm only working around one person's schedule (with three people there was a large chance that someone was always around). I'm just wondering if the extra debt is worth it. Only you can answer that; if it really is then go for it.

Get ready! Monday 8:30-10am Ecology 2-5pm Ecology Lab (luckily this is earlier sometimes depending on tides) Tuesday 9:25-10:40am Physiology 1-4pm Physiology Lab Wednesday 8:30-10am Ecology 4:30-7:30pm Teach lab Thursday 9:25-10:40am Physiology 5:30-7pm Graduate Seminar Friday 8:30am Lab Prep 10:30-1:30pm Teach lab 4:00pm Seminar which we're advised to attend Saturday (oh yea, there's a Saturday) 1:30-4:30pm Teach lab It hasn't been too bad so far. I use my time between classes to get readings, problems, and lab work done, and I've still had plenty of time to be social or just relax. This weekend alone I attended a fellow student's talk hosted by the Sierra Club, bar-hopped, attended an event hosted by the graduate student association, and went kayaking. I've actually been turning down invites to give myself nights to just sit! I'm sure this will change somewhat once I get further into the semester, but for now I'm really enjoying everything there is to do, both in and out of class.

Well honestly, my time here started out horribly. To make this as short as possible - My grandma was in the ER days before I left, so half of me didn't even want to leave (she was fine by the time I left) - I didn't have much time to get settled in my new place before orientation because we couldn't leave until the last second - On the first day of orientation it seemed like everyone knew each other, and I went from excited and confident to terrified in about 0.5 s - I was broke until the first day of classes because the financial aid office took forever to process my bill and send my refund - I had to set up a carpool at the last minute barely knowing anyone because I don't have a car and underestimated how difficult it'd be here without one - No lie, I was hysterically crying the night before classes asking my mom if I should just drop out because I couldn't figure out how to stay independent without a car here But everything turned around very quickly. I have a carpool and can get downtown myself, I have money now, and everyone warmed up to each other and overall we all get along great. The older students are very welcoming (there's only about 50 of us total) and there's been a lot of opprotunities for socializing. I'm in the swing of classes, and I'm starting to teach labs this week. I love my new city, and I've already planned out getting my SC license since (hopefully) I'll be working here once I'm done with school. The only thing is that the older students have warned us that the program is very gossipy due to the small size and the ridiculous amount of time we spend together (I already barely see my roommate who isn't in my school), so we'll see if that becomes a big issue. But so far I'm loving it! I wouldn't give this up for anything.

Thank you so much for saying this! I've been looking forward to building up an adult wardrobe that's more refined than my tees and shorts uniform, but I've been starting to feel like it'd be out of place in the science environment.