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Undergraduates Lead Sections

College students double as TFs in some classes

Adams House resident Abigail T. Berman ’05 said that being a TF “has been my most fulfilling experience at Harvard,” and that it has made her want to work in academic management.

Berman became the head TF for Chemistry E2a, “Organic Chemistry,” at the Extension School last spring—a post she has retained this year.

During the spring, Berman played an integral role in planning the course, when she took a lighter course load at the College—only enrolling in two classes—to help the class’ two new professors write the course materials from scratch. She said that writing the exams was particularly challenging.

Extension School Professor Annaliese Franz, who teaches Chemistry E2a, said that undergraduates TFs bring lots of enthusiasm to the course. She said despite being less experienced than their graduate student counterparts, undergraduate TFs are often highly praised by students.

“I had the opportunity to be a TF when I was an undergrad in college,” Franz wrote in an e-mail. “I valued the experience immensely and enjoy knowing that other undergrads are also as excited as I was.”

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