I guess I would compare the transition to the change from being an apprentice to being a practicing professional, or maybe being an understudy who is finally asked to perform the leading role. In a way, since being a graduate student, especially being a TA, involves so much pressure and expectation, it’s not a matter of the degree of stress and anxiety, but more that the source of the pressure is now your chair and colleagues, not your professors and the grad school. Since many of us grad students were also TAs, we also know what pressure from students is like. But you will be called “doctor” and “professor” more often in your new role, and you won’t be able to say “not yet!” to students to try to flatten the hierarchy any more. You’ll have to decide what you want them to call you, and decide whether there’s a difference between what grad students can call you and undergrads can call you. I generally allow grad students to call me by first name, but encourage undergraduates to call me “Dr. Day,” and sign my name in emails accordingly.

You will have earned this new title, and you should be proud of it, but use it wisely.

If you have had good mentors and professional development workshops in grad school, making the transition emotionally should not be that difficult, because you will have already created the persona of the professional you became, in your final years of grad school by presenting at conferences, collaborating on publications, engaging in service opportunities and local and national levels, and participating in email discussions in your field. As such, you were already acting the part of the faculty member, and the more you practice, the better you will be at assuming the professional stance of the faculty member naturally.

One other area, besides deciding what to have students call you, is deciding how you will interact with your students. No matter how much you want to be chummy and spend time hanging out with your students, especially your grad students, remember the power dynamic implicit in the teacher-student relationship. You hold the power of the grade over the students, even students who may be older than you are. Even if some students may not be in your classes, remember that eventually they could be. You would never want to get into a situation in which a student feels that she or he can rely on you for a good grade because of your friendship. So, don’t be afraid to socialize with grad students, but remember to act with the respect and compassion of a faculty member