Working Students & NYU Community

Objectives

Unlock a world of opportunities by connecting with fellow working graduate students across NYU, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and advancing your career prospects.

Connect

Break down academic silos and foster a vibrant community where working graduate students can connect with peers from diverse disciplines

Discover

Unlock a world of possibilities as you discover new perspectives, collaborate on interdisciplinary projects, and expand your academic and professional horizons.

Empower

Take control of your networking journey with flexible tools and resources designed to empower you to build meaningful connections that fit your busy schedule.

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NYU Community Challenge

Working NYU graduate students need to utilise networking opportunities that are flexible to their schedules because the school’s reputation will advance their careers. Many graduate students at NYU juggle full-time jobs with their studies, which can lead to feeling isolated and unaware of networking resources. Sources reveal that working graduate students struggle to balance their time between academic, professional, and personal commitments. A significant challenge lies in connecting academic pursuits with professional goals. Because their schedules are so demanding, working graduate students need to find networking opportunities that fit around their commitments. Despite feeling isolated, 92.9% of students surveyed want to network with those in other departments and programmes.

Important Research Findings

The following research highlights key insights about the NYU community, focusing on the challenges and needs of working graduate students.

Time Constraints

Working NYU graduate students often feel limited by their demanding schedules, making it difficult to balance work, studies, and extracurricular activities. This time pressure limits their ability to attend networking events or explore campus resources, potentially hindering their academic and professional growth.

Desire to Network Despite Isolation

While many working graduate students feel isolated, 92.9% of those surveyed expressed a desire to network outside of their program. This points to an unmet need: working students want to expand their networks but find it challenging to do so within their current constraints.

Limited Awareness of Campus Resources

Working NYU graduate students are primarily focused on buildings and resources directly related to their own program, making them less aware of other spaces and offerings on campus. This limited awareness can further contribute to their sense of isolation and restrict their access to valuable networking and learning opportunities.

Cross-Departmental Interaction is Difficult

The research highlighted difficulties in cross-departmental interaction, particularly for students with programs located in different boroughs. This geographic separation can exacerbate feelings of isolation and make it more challenging to connect with students and faculty in other disciplines.

Need for Flexible Networking Opportunities

Based on the challenges identified, the research team concluded that working NYU graduate students need more flexible networking opportunities that can accommodate their tight schedules. This suggests that traditional networking events may not be suitable for this population, and more tailored approaches are required.

Demographics and Recruitment Limitations

The research acknowledged limitations in its scope. The primary focus on female graduate students may limit the generalizability of the findings to the broader NYU graduate student population. Additionally, recruitment challenges and low survey participation rates were noted, highlighting the difficulty in engaging working students in research activities.

Approach

Our research is grounded in a user-centered design approach, ensuring that the needs and experiences of the NYU community were prioritized throughout the process.

Developing a Research Plan Creating a structured research plan to align goals and methods, ensuring all key aspects of the study are addressed systematically.

User Interviews Conducting one-on-one interviews to gather in-depth insights into the needs and experiences of NYU community members.

Affinity Diagramming Organizing and synthesizing interview findings using affinity diagrams to identify key themes and patterns.

Surveying Distributing surveys to capture quantitative data and validate insights gathered from interviews and observations.

Developing Personas and Project Statements Creating personas and project statements to represent user needs and align project objectives with research findings.

Features

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