# A TA's encouragement changed everything

> A chemistry professor recalls how one teaching assistant's kindness after a failing grade set him on the path to success.
- Title: A TA's encouragement changed everything | Shortify
- Summary: A chemistry professor recalls how one teaching assistant's kindness after a failing grade set him on the path to success. A teaching assistant's…
- Keywords: mit, teaching assistants, academic mentorship, chemistry, student success, technology, science, TA's, encouragement, changed, everything, MIT Technology Review
- Source: MIT Technology Review — https://technologyreview.com/2026/10/20/1145291/a-good-ta-priceless
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mit, teaching assistants, academic mentorship, chemistry, student success, technology, science
## A crushing first exam
In fall nineteen eighty, the author scored forty-nine out of one hundred on his first quiz in three point zero nine one, Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry, at MIT. The experience was soul-crushing.

> getting 49 out of 100 was a soul-crushing experience
## A TA's encouraging words
Teaching assistant Leszek Pawlowicz, PhD eighty-seven, returned the paper with a smile and said, "I expect to see you double your score on the next quiz." The message motivated the student to study harder.

> I expect to see you double your score on the next quiz
## From failure to grad school
The author scored one hundred on the next quiz and graduated with grades strong enough for graduate school. Years later, he reconnected with Pawlowicz to thank him for the lasting impact of his encouragement.

> A good TA can really have lasting impact
## Key takeaway

A teaching assistant's encouragement after a student's poor first exam at MIT led to dramatic improvement and shaped his entire academic career.