<p>My problem with people who try to use the TA issue is that they either exaggerate or they don't know what they are talking about. Yes, TAs teach 101 classes and assist professors in 100 level classes...and sometimes even in 200 level classes. But even at major research institutions like Cal, Chicago, Cornell, Harvard, Michigan, MIT and Stanford, TAs play a very minor role. Over 90% of my interaction with instructors at Michigan was with full-time professors...and almost all of remaining interaction with TAs was during my Freshman year. My close friends at Michigan and other major research universities like Cal, Cornell, MIT and Stanford had similar experiences to my own.</p>
<p>Yes, it is true that the nobel prize winners do not teach undergrads that often, but you still have incredible faculty that is not necessarily recognized teaching undergrads at those top universities. I took 3 Political Science and 3 Psychology classes at Michigan and 3 of those 6 classes were taught by faculty members that are considered among the top 10 in their field in the World. Their names (Raymond Tanter, who is now retired and teaching part time at Georgetown I believe, Kenneth Lieberthal and John Holland) would mean nothing to the majority of us on this board, but they all taught undergrads in relatively intimate settings and addressed all their students by their first name. I had the pleasure of getting to know them personally and they were always approachable. </p>
<p>Additionally, I took classes with several major faculty member in my chosen fields of study (Economics, Physics and History). Professors like Jim Adams, Charlie Brown, Hal Varian (now dean of the Econ department at Berkeley), George Johnson, Mile Kimball, Gary Solon, Sidney Fine, William Rosenberg, Dena Goodman, Kathleen Canning, Jim Allen, Dan Amidei and Phil Baucksbaum. Only a world class research university can expose undergrads to such faculty members in an intimate setting.</p>
<p>Yes, I has minimal interaction with TAs my Freshman year, always as discussion group leaders but never as lecturers or instructors. But the handful of TAs I dealt were all excellent, with the exception of one who's English was atrocious! LOL</p>