--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The uninitiated often assumed that under…" description: "\"“The uninitiated often assumed that under graduate students were at the bottom rung, but undergrads were the paying customers, or at least their parent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/neve-maslakovic-71845_education_the-uninitiated-often-assumed-that-under_3143459.jpg" --- # The uninitiated often assumed that under graduate students… ![“The uninitiated often assumed that under graduate students were at the bottom rung, but undergrads were the paying customers, or at least their parents were. And paying customers needed to be kept happy. Grad students worked for the school as teaching and research assistants--TAs and RAs--but…” quote by Neve Maslakovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/neve-maslakovic-71845_education_the-uninitiated-often-assumed-that-under_3143459.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/neve-maslakovic-71845_education_the-uninitiated-often-assumed-that-under_3143459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/neve-maslakovic-71845_education_the-uninitiated-often-assumed-that-under_3143459.jpg) > ““The uninitiated often assumed that under graduate students were at the bottom rung, but undergrads were the paying customers, or at least their parents were. And paying customers needed to be kept happy. Grad students worked for the school as teaching and research assistants--TAs and RAs--but weren't really proper employees, and as such they weren't entitled to the benefits that, say, a cataloger in the Coffey Library received. Then there was the fact that they had to learn to leave behind passive studying and test taking, which was what most of them had been taught in their school careers up to that point, and learn how to actively attack research problems and come up with new ideas, all while being poorly paid. Like Helen had said, a not insignificant number of grad students left after a year instead of sticking around to work on obtaining their PhDs. Who could blame them? Industry paid more and had better benefits.”” Neve Maslakovic ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques the inequitable treatment of graduate students, highlighting their low pay, lack of benefits, and the pressure to produce research despite poor compensation. **In simple terms:** Graduate students work hard with little pay and benefits, leading many to leave for better industry jobs. Key Takeaway Graduate labor is undervalued and exploited. Themes education labor rights inequality Mood concerned analytical Type critical advocacy When to use this quote - academic research - career planning - advocacy - policy reform Key Concepts student labor benefits disparity Questions to Reflect On - What changes could improve graduate student conditions? - Should universities treat grad students as employees? A Different Perspective The situation varies by institution and may improve with reforms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Graduate school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-school/) [Graduate student](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-student/) [Graduate students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-students/) ## Related quotes > [“You have this novel idea of the world, like it’s made up of ladder hunting and test taking and framed plaques, all of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-august/you-have-this-novel-idea-of-the-world-like-it-s-made-up-of-ladder/) [J.M. August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-august/) > [The combination to be on guard for is young and bored, or young and resentful. 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Bush for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/political-journalists-love-graduate-student-intelligence-the-ability/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [As a graduate student at Oxford in 1963, I began writing about books in revolutionary France, helping to found the discipline of book history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963-i-began-writing-about-books/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [“They're not people at all, they're graduate students, there's a difference. 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