Bad TA stories...

Chipper

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2008
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I have one for a 1 credit science lab who grades like they're trying to prove how difficult their field is. I don't get how expectations and time commitments are greater for the lab than lecture. End rant
 
I can't remember what class it was but some Manufacturing/Design Egineering Lab where we had short quizzes every Friday with a TA. One of the questions on a quiz was "Describe the process in which you would go about in manufacturing a metal gear." or something like that. I described it pretty well and got a 4/5 another kid I had no clue so he just wrote "Cheese Grater" and got 5/5???
 
Oh boy.....bringing me back here. Physics 221: 5 years ago with the fat balding Canadian dude....can't remember his name....Atwood? Anyways, he took off a point on my quiz because I did not use units in an INTERMEDIATE step of a problem. I'll add that the answer was correct while showing the correct units. I asked him about it and he said if I didn't use units along the way, I'd mess up the answer. Right.......
 
I dislike graduate students that think they are gods gift to the scholarly world. My favorite was when one of my fellow undergrads turned into a grad student and his whole persona changed. Rather irritating.
 
I had one named like Modumitah Saha or something to that effect for American Popular Culture... She spent an entire day talking about how Abner Doubleday, and Herman Ruth were important figures in the great American game of Basketball... it was painful...
 
I dislike graduate students that think they are gods gift to the scholarly world. My favorite was when one of my fellow undergrads turned into a grad student and his whole persona changed. Rather irritating.
Every history grad student fits the stereotype of the "intellectually superior" graduate student.
 
I had an arrogant architecture grad student as a TA in an Arch class. I got a C or D on a test and had a meeting with him to discuss it. He couldn't tell me how I could have answered some questions better, but still gave me only partial credit for them. WTF? Must have just graded the tests based on your major. I guess he couldn't believe that a non-arch student knew that much about architecture.
 
I either had TA's that were cool and helped make up for the terrible prof's we had to listen to lecture and not get anything from or ones that didn't take their job seriously. Had 1 TA that I bet was a no show for at least 25% of the recitation sessions once. Had 1 TA that basically told us to forget everything in lecture because he would show us better ways with the material that was taught and it turned out that he was right!
 
Also had a TA for one of my programming classes that would give you no less than 50% on an assignment as long as the code compiled. I somehow got a passing grade on 1 program assignment that didn't come close to doing what it was supposed to. Basically commented out a section that created the output file because I couldn't figure out why it would not end the file creation. Comment basically read "do not run this code unless you want your computer to lock up and create an output file several GB in size!" 50% for just having code that compiled and I think a combined 20% for somehow having some code that worked right and proper "formatting."
 
Every history grad student fits the stereotype of the "intellectually superior" graduate student.

Dear Clone5,

I strenuously disagree with your premise that all history grad students portray an "intellectually superior" mentality. I would go into detail describing the errors of your thinking, but I am quite sure my large vocabulary would render your ability to comprehend impossible. Good luck working the drive-through.

Signed,
Cycloin (TA/Grad student '98-'99)


:jimlad:
 
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Ah... Atwood.

Somebody filmed him secretly for one class period. Then, they took clips of all his off-the-wall body movements and made a music video for the Bloodhound Gang - Discovery Channel song. :biglaugh:

I don't remember what they named the video but it's on YouTube somewhere...

Why here you go.
 
I actually had a TA once that could tell that his audience was bored and wasn't paying attention. Out of nowhere he broke out, "Do you think that Brady boys ever looked at each other and said 'Why not? They're not our real sisters?' You could tell who had been paying attention by the people that were laughing.
 
Dear Clone5,

I strenuously disagree with you premise that all history grad students portray an "intellectually superior" mentality. I would go into detail describing the errors of your thinking, but I am quite sure my large vocabulary would render your ability to comprehend impossible. Good luck working the drive-through.

Signed,
Cycloin (TA/Grad student '98-'99)


:jimlad:
That was pretty much spot on. Nice work :biglaugh:
 
I think my math TA name was hoo flung poo? Could only understand sylables and certain sounds. Had a math test during the first night of March Madness. Looked a the first question ande said O-@#$%. Handed it in 20 seconds after I got it and said thanks.
 
My calc 2 TA was the ONLY reason I got through that class with a passing grade. He literally re-taught everything done during the week in one recitation. My brain actually hurt after recitation each week.. but at least I learned something, unlike lecture.