In many (most?) cases, the research that the RA is "assisting" on is actually their dissertation research. It would be pretty uncommon to work on a totally unre

In many (most?) cases, the research that the RA is "assisting" on is actually their dissertation research. It would be pretty uncommon to work on a totally unrelated project during your RA time. Also, many universities require a few semesters of TAing, even if the student is fully funded. It's certainly free labor for the school, but it did help me understand what I was doing....