The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022 - 12

2021 Year in Review
funded grant if the student hasn't worked on tasks related
to that grant.
Some programs allow PhD students to only take courses
their first year and then find a faculty match at the end of
the first year. Students must be proactive in engaging with
faculty and building relationships. This is best done through
the classes the student may take with the faculty member,
attending department seminars, and completing projects
with faculty members. Do not expect that this matching is
an automatic process. If at the end of the year, a student
hasn't found a willing supervisor, then the student may
have to exit the program permanently!
Teaching assistant positions come with responsibilities
for supporting undergraduate classes and laboratories.
It is imperative to prepare long before a lab or assignment
is given to the students. Prompt feedback to students
is essential. Teaching assistants are evaluated on
their timeliness.
Juggling research and teaching assignments requires truly
exceptional organizational skills. Meeting with the instructor
of the class before classes begin and performing the
labs to ensure the materials and equipment are in good
working order is essential. If something goes wrong in a
lab, rescheduling labs can be time-consuming and require
significantly more hours for the Teaching Assistant to
resolve. Thus, early preparation and backup plans are key.
Teaching assistants tend to perform much higher on Ph.D.
qualifying exams because of their intimidate knowledge
of subject detail. However, teaching assistants answer to
multiple bosses, namely the faculty whose classes they are
serving and the graduate student's own research supervisor.
This may seem like an intimidating organizational structure,
but teaching assistants are the students the faculty get
to know best and become the most respected in the
department. They are often first in line for wonderful
opportunities because of the broad exposure for their
abilities and work ethic.
Regardless of the program one chooses, it's the student
who really makes the institution successful for themselves.
One can forge their own pathway and a graduate degree
can help get them there.
17 MS programs to
choose from, plus 4 new
100% online programs
Learn more:
go.tufts.edu/engmasters
PhD, certificate, and postbac programs also available
EARN A MASTER'S
IN ENGINEERING
in as little as one year or at your own pace.
THE BRIDGE
https://grad.tufts.edu/engineering-masters/
The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022

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