Frustrating!

[Nytusse]

Hello all. Just a grad student rant. This upcoming semester is my first time getting a TA assignment, and apparently everyone else in my program is already set up, and I haven't heard a peep. Once I get the assignment, I have to meet with the professor, make a syllabus, get office hours, procure a desk assignment, and get the necessary textbooks. Classes start in a week, and they are still "making decisions"! It is getting rather (highly) stressful sitting here waiting.

[nepisodes]

Hello all. Just a grad student rant. This upcoming semester is my first time getting a TA assignment, and apparently everyone else in my program is already set up, and I haven't heard a peep. Once I get the assignment, I have to meet with the professor, make a syllabus, get office hours, procure a desk assignment, and get the necessary textbooks. Classes start in a week, and they are still "making decisions"! It is getting rather (highly) stressful sitting here waiting.

Well, I think what you are experiencing is not as stressful as waiting for application results...

But I hope you can get assigned soon.

And which school are you in?

[starmaker]

Well, I think what you are experiencing is not as stressful as waiting for application results...

Are we playing the Stress Olympics or something?

This is, after all, the forum intended for people who already went through the application process, got their results, and matriculated.

[tauren]

Well, I think what you are experiencing is not as stressful as waiting for application results...

But I hope you can get assigned soon.

And which school are you in?

You've obviously never had to prep for a course then.

[Grimm101]

Just a quick question. Are you expected to create your own syllabus or is the professor you are working with providing one? I TA'd for the past 2 years and the texts and syllabus were provided by the professor in charge of the course. I hope they make a decision soon, but since you are new to this, I don't think (at least I hope they don't) drop you into a class and expect you to teach it. I started out holding study sessions and grading papers and exams. The second year, I ran my own courses. Best of luck for the upcoming semester!

[Ludwig von Dracula]

Well, I think what you are experiencing is not as stressful as waiting for application results...

Good heavens...I taught high school for two years (with excellent mentors, so hardly on my own), and some days I would literally cry before leaving for work because I was so nervous. A different kind of stress than waiting for results, but don't knock it.

Nytusse, you have my sympathies.

[sputnik]

Hello all. Just a grad student rant. This upcoming semester is my first time getting a TA assignment, and apparently everyone else in my program is already set up, and I haven't heard a peep. Once I get the assignment, I have to meet with the professor, make a syllabus, get office hours, procure a desk assignment, and get the necessary textbooks. Classes start in a week, and they are still "making decisions"! It is getting rather (highly) stressful sitting here waiting.

That sounds like a lot more than the typical TA assignment.

[Eigen]

My wife's in a similar situation. She's supposed to be starting TAing two classes, but she still hasn't gotten details on either one! I know a lot of the people in my department are in similar situations, with schedules still being shifted about and such.

And as to the "which is more stressful".... Really? As was said, this is the forum for people that already went through the "waiting for results" period.

[NadaJ]

It's frustrating for the administartors too! I know for my dept, we have at least two classes we "think" will have TAs, but we're not sure. Budget issues, combined with unknown numbers of transfer students, and if we'll actually be able to teach the class all must be resolved before we assign TAs, an offer that once extended is a contractual obligation the dept has to pay the salary and fringe (tuition plus health care) for said person. So, yes, it does suck, but this is kind of what goes along with the territory. Not always, but sometimes. GL!

[MoJingly]

And as to the "which is more stressful".... Really? As was said, this is the forum for people that already went through the "waiting for results" period.

Yup. You get through one stressor and then deal with the next. I don't think they will ever end. Makes you wonder why we do this to ourselves

[Eigen]

Yup. You get through one stressor and then deal with the next. I don't think they will ever end. Makes you wonder why we do this to ourselves

Because it builds character

[MoJingly]

Because it builds character

That's what they keep telling me. But what if I don't want any more character???

[Eigen]

Then you get it as a bonus, you lucky thing!

[Nytusse]

OK, to extend my rant, I have finally gotten my assignment. It is a research assistantship in an area both geographically and methodologically NOT close to my interests. I got the impression I was basically stuck there because there was nothing else to do with me. Then I was informed that the RAship might be reduced to 25% and then I would get a reader/gradership....which would presumably be about a day before the class. I feel not only personally stressed but professionally irritated because this is all making ME look like a flaky student.

[Nytusse]

Just a quick question. Are you expected to create your own syllabus or is the professor you are working with providing one? I TA'd for the past 2 years and the texts and syllabus were provided by the professor in charge of the course. I hope they make a decision soon, but since you are new to this, I don't think (at least I hope they don't) drop you into a class and expect you to teach it. I started out holding study sessions and grading papers and exams. The second year, I ran my own courses. Best of luck for the upcoming semester!

That was my experience previously as well, but apparently the norm in my program is for the professor to decide what counts for what as far as grading, but if he or she allocates, say 30% for section performance, then I might have to have my own syllabus reflecting THAT grade breakdown, my expectations, etc.

[Zouzax]

In my opinion, I'd much rather sit around waiting for application responses than teach. I don't even teach at the university level; I work at a private school. Let me tell you - trying to write a fun syllabus so that 10 or more people can be entertained for 3 hours is nerve-wracking. Then standing in front of the class, waving your arms around and trying to keep them from falling asleep at their desks is a whole other battle. I wish I could sit at my computer, constantly refreshing my inbox and praying for a response! It's what I do during my off hours, anyway.

[redread]

OK, to extend my rant, I have finally gotten my assignment. It is a research assistantship in an area both geographically and methodologically NOT close to my interests. I got the impression I was basically stuck there because there was nothing else to do with me. Then I was informed that the RAship might be reduced to 25% and then I would get a reader/gradership....which would presumably be about a day before the class. I feel not only personally stressed but professionally irritated because this is all making ME look like a flaky student.

Ugh. Good luck. Do you at least have a template syllabus and course design to base this semester on, or are you completely on your own?

[StrangeLight]

while not knowing exactly what work you'll be doing sounds unusual, the amount of work they're asking of you for your TAship or RAship or gradership sounds on par with my own school. no real choice of what you teach or who you research for until you have enough semesters of teaching under your belt that you get your own pick. and most of the TAs in my program write a syllabus of expectations for the discussion sessions.

as far as being a grader goes, that's boring and unfulfilling, because you don't get interaction with the students, but it's low stress. teaching is emotionally exhausting. it can take hours to recover from it before you're ready to do other work. there are worse assignments to get stuck with than RAing and grading.

[Nytusse]

Well, I did end up also getting a reader/grader assignment, which means it is a split appointment of two very different kinds of work. I would have been totally fine with any sort of assignment, really, it's just that now I feel like it is going to be a lot more work than if I were just a TA or something, meaning that two 25% appointments seem to add up to more than 50%, especially because I have to be oriented for this research assistantship. The other awkward thing is that I get the impression I was sort of forced upon my research assistantship professor because that person's department actually has money. I'm really not at all helpful for that project.

[rising_star]

Well, I did end up also getting a reader/grader assignment, which means it is a split appointment of two very different kinds of work. I would have been totally fine with any sort of assignment, really, it's just that now I feel like it is going to be a lot more work than if I were just a TA or something, meaning that two 25% appointments seem to add up to more than 50%, especially because I have to be oriented for this research assistantship. The other awkward thing is that I get the impression I was sort of forced upon my research assistantship professor because that person's department actually has money. I'm really not at all helpful for that project.

This one is easy to do. Keep a log of your actual working hours on each project to ensure that you don't go over the 10 hours/week that each appointment is allotted. If you find that after three weeks, you've put in 40 hours of grading with no end in sight, let the professor you're working for now. Otherwise, you're just consenting to exploitation.