Did you also notice this or am I the only one?

[Adelaide9216]

Hello,

I've realized that I have a lot of friends who have done MAs, PhDs or are currently studying in one or the other in my field. It made me realize that they are my friends but that they might end up being my teachers in the next couple of years. It makes the "hierarchy" and boundaries quite blurry.

Is it true? Has anyone else noticed this or have any thoughts on this? 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

30 minutes ago, Adelaide9216 said:

I've realized that I have a lot of friends who have done MAs, PhDs or are currently studying in one or the other in my field. It made me realize that they are my friends but that they might end up being my teachers in the next couple of years. It makes the "hierarchy" and boundaries quite blurry.

You will probably finish your MSW prior to the time any of your friends finish their PhD. I also believe that one must already have a PhD in order to teach master's level students. My MA thesis advisor said that I would not be able to teach graduate students (English) even if I have a PhD, if I don't have a TT position. The odds of any of your friends getting a job at the university they received their PhD from, is fairly remote. They might continue to be there as a post doc. I suppose in that instance, it's possible you might get one of them as an instructor.

[ThousandsHardships]

In my previous program, it was common for grad students to take relevant undergrad classes. It's also very common for grad students in all sorts of disciplines to take language classes (to gain a skill or to meet a language requirement), which are almost always taught by other grad students. So yes, it is indeed possible for someone in your cohort to be your TA.

When I was doing my master's, I've TA'd classes with grad students in them, and I've taken classes led by grad students. I don't feel that it's awkward at all. In class, you are held to the same requirements as the other students, and you won't get any special treatment. But you'll get to know these people outside of class as well. You'll have common friends, go to common social events, etc. It's not the same type of relationship as you'd have with your TA if you're an undergrad. TA's are also not as wary of forming friendships with their students if said student is a grad student. I often also ended up TA'ing the same class with these people later on, and we got to know each other more as colleagues than as student and teacher.

That said, if you're insistent on avoiding having a grad student as your teacher, simply don't take undergrad classes. Unless you have a specific reason for taking them (such as making up a prerequisite or enhancing some skill), most graduate programs would not require you to take them. Grad students generally don't teach graduate courses. I don't even know if they're allowed to. So if you're taking only graduate-level courses, you likely would never have a grad student as your instructor.

Edited August 7, 2017 by ThousandsHardships

[TakeruK]

At my PhD program, all of the grad classes in my department were TA'ed by other graduate students. I think a small fraction of new grad students feel weird about this at first, especially if they come from more formalized education settings where there is a hierarchy and places where grades/protocol/procedure really really mattered. Eventually, everyone learns to adjust and change their perspective.

But I think learning to become not-bothered by this is an important step in your transition from an undergraduate student to a graduate student. It's part of the transition from becoming someone who is learning from the experts to someone who is in training to become a colleague. 

This is part of professional development as well. You will become friends with many of your fellow grad students and they might end up being your TA. That's okay. There's no problem with being good buddies with your instructors, the problem only occurs if one makes decisions in their instructor-role while influenced by the friend relationship.

By the way, if you continue in academia, you will be expected to balance the personal and professional relationship you have with your colleagues further. Research is all about "peer" review after all, so people you might develop good friendships with will eventually be the ones that review your grant proposals, referee your papers, determine who gets to give talks at the conference you applied to, serve as external committee members on your students' thesis defenses etc. If you become a faculty member, you'll serve on committees that will make important decisions that can influence the career of other faculty members (your colleagues) such as tenure/promotion review, admission committee (e.g. deciding whether or not a student your colleague really wants can get in), allocation of common funds for things like travel or office upgrades etc.