TA Spotlight: Meredith Sanders
Meredith Sanders is a TA for CS 7637: Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence. Keep reading to learn more about Meredith!
What do you do professionally?
Prior to starting OMSCS, I earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. After that, I worked for several years as an application engineer at a mechanical contracting company designing HVAC controls systems. However, I desired a career change. During high school and my undergraduate years, I took various programming courses and found them engaging and rewarding. Motivated by this interest (and perhaps some peer pressure from my computer science friends), I made the decision to enroll in OMSCS to explore the possibility of transitioning into software engineering. It worked! For the past 2.5 years, I have been employed as a software engineer developing payments software at NCR, and I love it! And, of course, I work for OMSCS where I’ve served as a teaching assistant for CS 7637: Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence for the last 3.5 years, continuing after I graduated from the program.
Why do you TA for OMSCS?
I love helping my peers succeed. While studying at GT for my undergraduate degree, I worked as a tutor across various subjects such as calculus, physics, and different engineering courses. In OMSCS, I fell in love with Knowledge-Based AI and really wanted to contribute to the course and understand its inner workings. I continue to TA because I love advocating for our students and finding ways to improve the student experience. It’s also a great way to retain the course material!
What is your advice for future OMSCS students?
I have a few pieces of advice for OMSCS students. Start slowly and only take one course before fully diving in. If you’re struggling in a class, please reach out to your fellow classmates, TAs, and professors—chances are they can help you and it will save you a lot of time and energy! Finally, don’t just focus on your grades, focus on your learning.
What's your best study hack?
Turn off your phone! I tend to reach for my phone when I start feeling a bit bored or fatigued. I have also temporarily changed my passwords on time-wasting websites. I don’t always have the discipline to stay focused, so it’s easier to eliminate distractions.
Beyond that, I recommend setting achievable and measurable goals with time constraints. For example, when writing a paper, you might set a goal of writing two paragraphs within an hour. Breaking down a substantial amount of work into smaller goals can make it less daunting.