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--- grad_school [2019/09/09 22:29] – ethanminot
+++ grad_school [2022/09/13 11:34] (current) – realism dublin
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-====== Grad School ======
+====== Grad School Advice ======
 Graduate students in Physics are supported as either Research Assistants (RAs) or Teaching Assistants (TA). Throughout a PhD you will have financial support from these sources, covering all living expenses plus some extra. RA positions are not usually confirmed until graduate students spend some time in a research group. At OSU Dept. of Physics it is typical to spend one year as a TA while you explore research options, then secure an RA position in the second year.  RA support can depend on the availability of research funding. If research funding is limited, RA positions become more competitive.
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 Some [[mceuen_wisdom|thoughts from Paul McEuen]] (Ethan's PhD advisor).
-======Balancing TA Assignments with Research ======
+====Balancing TA Assignments with Research ====
 //Here are some thoughts from Prof. Tom Baehr-Jones (E.C.E Uni. Delaware). One of many valid view-points about making the most of being a TA.//
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 "Do you find it boring to probe 1e6 devices for electrical resistivity? Well, if you play your cards right, you can recruit an undergrad to work on this project for you. If you find the right person, and frame the opportunity properly and train them correctly, they will be happy to do literally 100s of hours of work for you, at no cost, if it's part of a research agenda. They are lucky to have this opportunity. Believe me. I was an undergrad interested in science, but with no idea how to find my way into the world of research. I really wish I had the kind of opportunity that you guys can offer these incoming students.
-"Being a TA is probably going to cost you 4-6 hours per week. What you can get in return in terms of time contributed from students can quickly make up for this - if you go into it with the right attitude. Of course if you show up and view the task as nothing more than a burdensome exercise, then don't expect to get anything back.
+"Being a TA is probably going to cost you 4-6 hours per week (**At OSU, a full time TA position — 0.4 full time equivalent — is 16 hours a week**). What you can get in return in terms of time contributed from students can quickly make up for this - if you go into it with the right attitude. Of course if you show up and view the task as nothing more than a burdensome exercise, then don't expect to get anything back.
 "A long time ago, I was a TA back at Caltech. Probably 60% of the class had a bad attitude, and complained bitterly at having to solve the differential equation: