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What do TAs do at a college?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | Feb. 11, 2002

Question: What do TAs do at a college?

TAs are Teaching Assistants. They are usually graduate students who are working as assistants to faculty to supplement their graduate expenses. Sometimes advanced undergraduates become TAs when their work in a particular area is outstanding and they have gained the confidence of senior faculty.

Sometimes the very mention of TAs can have a negative connotation when it comes to teaching. That's because at a number of large universities, especially in introductory courses, TAs tend to carry a significant amount of the teaching load. Even if they are not involved directly with the instruction of the class, they can be a large part of lab activities and counseling for the students in the class.

The reason for the negative perception has nothing to do with the quality of the TA's teaching. In fact, some TAs can be genuinely exciting and motivational. The problem comes from students and parents who feel that for the high price of tuition, faculty should be doing the teaching, not a graduate student who is also a teaching assistant.

In large introductory courses, the teaching assistant can also handle the administration of exams and grading. The fact of the matter is, a lot of new freshman may never know that they are being taught by a graduate student. The way to tell is to get a listing of courses and then check to see who will be doing the teaching. If the name of the instructor or professor is not on that course's departmental faculty listing, you may want to do some research. If you find out that you're dealing with a TA, you might be able to pick the course up later when it will be taught by a member of the faculty.

There is nothing wrong with Teaching Assistants. They perform a positive and productive function. If I had a choice, though, I'd prefer to be taught by full-time faculty.

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.