It would seem a coveted job for any graduate student: close contact with a well-known professor, a boost in salary and a plumb title for a rising academic's resume. But head teaching fellows across campus say the competition for their jobs is hardly cutthroat.
Instead, they say the administrative workload of a large course's head TF spot scares many graduate students away--forcing professors frequently to solicit the graduate students they know best to help out.
Head by Default
Angelika Fretzen, head TF of Chemistry 10: "Foundations of Chemstry," says Gregory L. Verdine, professor of chemistry and instructor of the course, actually approached her and mentioned the opportunity.
"There was no formal process," she says. "[Verdine] was looking, and he called on me."
David W. Goldsmith says there was absolutely no competition for his job as head TF of Science B-16: "History of Life." Even though the position allows a graduate student to work one-on-one with famed evolutionary biologist Stephen J. Gould, Goldsmith says he was the only one willing to assume the workload.
For Science B-16 and other classes, the TF selection process is very logical, according to Goldsmith.
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