Do fellowships trump TAships?

[baimeeker]

Hey... I've got two schools offering fellowships and two offering TAships. When it was only one fellowship, I kept thinking it's not an issue to go somewhere without one, but now that I have two... well it still feels like I have a choice, but now between those two schools. Obviously the schools see fellowships as a recruiting tool, and those two schools were already my favorites going into the application process, but I'm not sure how much more difficult it will be to work through the first year as a TA or whether that may actually be beneficial. Also, it looks like the TA preparation at the schools that I was offered TAships at are more organized than the TA preparation at other schools. I may have to dive right into TAing the second year, although that will probably be easier, since I hear the first semester is the hardest to get used to.

So... anyone in a similar position? And also, if it were you, how much would fellowships skew your rankings?

[cogneuroforfun]

Not having to TA for the first year is preferable. But if you will have to TA for the following years anyways, no matter where you go, I wouldn't let it change my choice much. Go where the research fits your interests the best, and think of not TAing the first year as just a nice bonus, but nothing too important! (This is assuming the amount of funding, whether its TA or fellowship, is roughly equivalent.)

[socialpsych]

If you are still considering the schools with TAships (I'm not sure I've understood your post correctly), talk to the current grad students at those schools and see how they feel about TAing. If they think it's a pain, believe me, you will think it's a pain too, no matter how organized it is or what any of the profs say. Talking to the students is the only way to figure out what any of this stuff will mean to you as a student in the program, IMO.

[Aceflyer]

If you are still considering the schools with TAships (I'm not sure I've understood your post correctly), talk to the current grad students at those schools and see how they feel about TAing. If they think it's a pain, believe me, you will think it's a pain too, no matter how organized it is or what any of the profs say. Talking to the students is the only way to figure out what any of this stuff will mean to you as a student in the program, IMO.

I agree. How much of a burden a TAship confers varies significantly from school to school and from program to program (and from course to course as well). Talking to students who actually have recent experience TAing in the program is the only way to get an accurate sense of what it'll be like to be a TA there.

[teaganc]

If I am understanding you correctly, the school that offers the fellowship will also require you to TA, just not in the first year? This is the best system, IMO, because it lets you settle into grad school before it forces you to juggle teaching, while still giving you teaching experience (if you want to go into academia). But even though this would be my personal preference, I wouldn't let it outweigh other factors--it's really more of a tie-breaker.

I also agree that you should speak to current TAs at all three options, because if you are going to have to TA anyway, you should see which schools treat their TAs well and which schools have TAs that are unhappy.

[rising_star]

You may want to read this post: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=15020