Bwog attended the most recent SGA meeting and heard from A-J Aronstein, who joined the group to discuss the role of Beyond Barnard in the community.

Beyond Barnard is home to all students, from the panicked freshman who created a Handshake account before NSOP to the senior anxiously flipping through pages of technical jargon for their consulting interview. Beyond Barnard is the place where student services and academic culture come together. They’re here to guide you through the lengthy process beyond your four years of college—they’re in it for the long haul. Whether you’re nearing graduation without the coveted intern-to-full-time offer or you’re 80 years old (yes, 80) hoping to explore a new field, Beyond Barnard shares a commitment to your lifelong success. 

In the meeting, A-J teased upcoming opportunities for alums to rejoin the Barnard community and access the resources and education at Barnard through classes and workshops. 

Your first ‘handshake’ (witty, I know) with Beyond Barnard may have taken place in individual advising, with a peer scribbling across your resume with red ink. But Beyond Barnard hopes to shift away from the overemphasis of one-on-one appointments in career counseling, interacting with students through events as well. Events vary from sit-downs with alums to career conferences where students can meet with employers and joint events with departments like history and environmental science. 

While the flake-out rate for events has decreased post-Covid, it remains high at 66%. Within this statistic, the SGA representatives were curious about how these events are made accessible to communities across campus:

International Students

After a 15-minute meeting with a potential employer, the dreaded question is asked: “Do you need work authorization?” 

Students can often find this information on employer profiles, but A-J suggests that many middle-sized companies have flexible policies concerning international students. He urges students to find advocates on the inside.

In the past, Beyond Barnard has collaborated with internal organizations like International Student Services, and future events are expected.

Access Barnard

Access Barnard supports first-generation, low-income, and international students on campus. Beyond Barnard aims to increase participation from Access Barnard students at programs by sending targeted messages before big events. 

By creating small-group programs like Mentors-In-Residence, Beyond Barnard hopes that students will feel comfortable learning about career pathways, knowing other students will be alongside them.

Affinity Groups 

Many representatives brought up the lack of targeted programming for affinity groups. 

Unlike LinkedIn, Barnard Connect is a place where students and alums can indicate their identities and join conversations. A-J also invites conversations from student groups to collaborate to create inclusive spaces.

Beyond Barnard will also be bringing back the DEI bulletin for specific opportunities.

For further information about the possibilities after Barnard, you can visit the Outcomes Dashboard, which organizes data alongside demographic information, showing race, ethnicity, and first-gen status. The annual report shows every employer and internship host since 2018 (fun fact: there are career options outside Google, they exist).

Enough with the future: let’s sit back and smell the roses (or the browning succulent on my windowsill). Beyond Barnard isn’t just there to prepare you for life beyond Barnard; it is a valuable tool to secure on-campus jobs. 

With over 1000 students employed on campus, Beyond Barnard actively creates pathways for better jobs by gradually increasing the minimum wage ahead of NYC standards and promoting paid professional development programs. To solve inequities, they also encourage supervisors to post their jobs on Workday so that all students can apply. 

Whether you drop in during walk-in hours or make an appointment weeks in advance, it’s never too late or too early to visit Beyond Barnard. And while you’re there, don’t miss the chance to try their famously subpar coffee—who knows, surviving the coffee could be a valuable skill to pad that resume.

PS: Above 80 and looking for a job? Visit Beyond Barnard to break the record (and maybe get a job as well).

Featured Image via Bwog Archives