by Rebekah Marilyn Groth
As an undergraduate student, I was never afraid to go knocking on professors’ doors during office hours. While I was always concerned that I was being a bother, I figured that’s what office hours are for, right? Showing up for office hours and reaching out for help was the best thing I ever did as an undergraduate student. It’s how I got a job as an undergraduate teaching assistant and research assistant. It’s how I got a department scholarship. It’s how I built relationships with faculty, how I found mentors, how I passed statistics with an A. Most importantly, it’s the reason I am a graduate student now.
If I had never shown up to ask for help, I would have never known my potential as a scholar. If I had never shown up, I wouldn’t have had amazing recommendation letters for graduate school applications.
To apply to graduate school, I needed a writing sample. As a senior sociology student, I had never written a paper over 10-15 pages, and now I needed a perfectly polished work that demonstrated my skills as a researcher and a writer. I worked on a weekly basis with a professor revising, editing until it was ready. Showing up to their office and asking for help was the best decision I made throughout my undergraduate degree.
Writing is a great way to express yourself and your ideas. It’s also a great way to connect with other people, and share your ideas. The thing is, before you talk to someone about your ideas, and show them your writing, it’s hard to know how good an idea really is. By sharing your work, you can connect with other people and build meaningful relationships.
There are many aspects of my work as a graduate student that I dread and avoid. Working with students, helping them realize that they are smart thinkers and competent writers is not one of them. In fact, my favorite part aspect of being a TA is helping students develop and refine their ideas and their writing.
If your professor or TA says “come to me at any point with questions or concerns,” do it!
If your professor or TA says “come to me at any point with questions or concerns,” do it! I know as a student, I’m hesitant to reach out for help because I want to try to figure things out by myself first. But the truth is, your TAs and instructors are here to help you. It’s part of our job. If you’re willing to invest some time meeting with your TAs and instructors, you won’t regret it.
Rebekah Marilyn Groth is a 2021–22 WIP TA for sociology.