What Does Beyond Barnard Offer?

Beyond Barnard's mission is to provide lifelong support for all students and graduates as they define, pursue, and achieve success in their careers and communities. We're here from your first day at Barnard and for the rest of your life as an alum.

We are an integrated hub of support in the areas of:

• Career Development: from career exploration and the basic building blocks of job applications (resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, etc.), to interview preparation, connections with employers and mentors, panel discussions on a range of industries, and much more. (Read about specific advising and programming resources below).
• Funding and Advising on Internships: Beyond Barnard is a one-stop-shop to help you identify and apply to established paid internship programs and to provide funding for otherwise unpaid internships.
• Applications to National and International Fellowships: Fellowships can help you support your undergraduate and post-graduate academic and professional goals! Work with our Fellowships Advisor to identify fellowships and apply to amazing opportunities.
• Navigating Graduate and Professional School Applications: from our dedicated Health Professions advisor, to support on questions about pre-law, business school, Accelerated 4+1 Pathways, and a whole range of PhD and master's programs, Beyond Barnard is here to help you navigate grad and professional school applications.
• Administrative Processes Related to Campus Roles: we help students get onboarded into Barnard's Payroll system, manage the posting of cross-campus opportunities, create policies for campus roles, and host regular paid professional development workshops.

Can't find what you're looking for? You can always reach us at beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com. You may also call 212-854-2033 (Monday through Friday 9AM-5PM).

Handshake

• The essential gateway to Beyond Barnard resources for students, alums, and employers
• Access/post part- and full-time job and internship listings
• Schedule advising appointments
• RSVP to attend student/alum events and programs
• Apply to Beyond Barnard internship funding
• Review guides and materials, including resume guides, cover letters, interviews, LinkedIn, and other career skills

Workday

• Navigate here to find/apply to campus roles (Federal Work Study and Barnard College Jobs)
• Fill out payroll paperwork for campus roles and internships

Barnard Connect

• Find a Barnard mentor from within the Barnard community
• Apply to and secure a short-term mentoring project through the Beyond Mentoring program

Courseworks Resources

• Graduate School Toolkit (advice and resources around applications to a wide variety of graduate programs)
• Pre-Law Toolkit

Instagram: read student and alum stories and learn how you can get involved with Beyond Barnard

YouTube: find recorded presentations, panel discussions, and other events

LinkedIn: Barnard College's LinkedIn home is an incredible trove of alums and students working and interning right here in Manhattan and around the world

All appointments can be scheduled in Handshake. Note that alums retain access to Handshake but may need to update their profiles before scheduling. Please email beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com with questions.

What can you discuss in your meetings?

• Career and graduate school exploration
• Job documents (resumes, cv's, cover letters, personal statements, etc.)
• Interview preparation (including behavioral, informational, and case interviews)
• Additional career skills (negotiation, LinkedIn profile creation, networking and community building)
• Applications to campus roles, internships, part- and full-time roles, etc.
• Applications to graduate and professional school
• Applications to national and international fellowships (including Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Gates Cambridge, and many others!)
• Navigating Barnard and Beyond Barnard resources (including Handshake and other platforms)

Some advice for students:

• To make the most of your appointment with staff at Beyond Barnard, we strongly recommend walking into Beyond Barnard to meet with a Peer Career Advisor to get your resume updated first. They're available from 10AM-5PM every day, Monday through Friday, from the second week of the semester through to the start of finals.
• Keep in mind that lead times for appointments with staff can be around 2 weeks. But you can almost always see a PCA within 24 hours or less.
• In other words: schedule with a Staff Member 1-2 weeks in advance, then head over to Beyond Barnard to meet with a PCA. You'll be able to get some great homework done, and then approach your meeting with a full time staff member even more prepared and confident.
• You never need a concrete plan to visit Beyond Barnard. We love it when students ask us open ended questions, or simply express that they don't know where to get started. That said, it's always helpful to do some reflection before you come; and take advantage of online resources in Handshake (on preparing a resume, for example)
• There are tons of example resumes in the Resources section as well!

Alums have unfettered access to advising resources at Beyond Barnard, but you may need to update your Handshake account to get started. Be sure to email beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com.

Every year, Peer Career Advisors host 1,000+ meetings with current students. This group of 10 specially trained Barnard undergraduates represents the diversity and range of the undergraduate student body at Barnard (see their bios). They work all year to ensure that they are prepared to answer questions.

PCA's can help students with the following:

• Navigating Handshake, LinkedIn, Barnard Connect, and other Beyond Barnard resources
• Craft a resume, cover letter, and other job documents
• Prepare for behavioral and informational interviews
• Provide guidance on general job and internship searches
• Other resources

You can schedule time with a PCA directly in Handshake. Peer Career Advisors are typically available from 10AM-5PM, Monday through Friday, during Academic Semesters. 

They have significant amounts of availability, meaning that students typically do not need to wait more than 24 hours to see a PCA. Questions about scheduling time with a PCA? Email beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com. 

Did you know you can connect with Beyond Barnard advisors without an appointment? Drop-in advising is a great way to address quick questions! On non-holiday Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1:00pm - 2:00pm, students can stop by the second floor of Elliott Hall and our advisors will be there to help. Spring 2025 drop-ins run through Thursday, May 1. 

Alum drop-ins are held virtually on non-holiday Mondays from 12:00pm - 1:00pm and conclude Monday, May 5. Alums, please reach out to beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com for the link to join.

Beyond Barnard provides extensive financial and programmatic support for what would otherwise be unpaid or low-pay internships. Our objective is to ensure that no student should have to turn down an internship because it is unpaid. The homepage for all of our funded internship opportunities is here.

Note that in addition to the below internship programs, Beyond Barnard regularly provides support for students and alums in their applications to existing paid internship opportunities! Though Barnard funds around 600 internships and research opportunities per year, there are countless other paid internships that may align with your interests.

Beyond Barnard Internship Program

• Funding available during the academic year or summer
• All disciplines eligible to apply

Laidlaw Scholars Program

• Open to first-year and sophomore students across disciplines
• Two-year commitment (one summer of faculty-mentored research; one summer of a Leadership in Action Project)

GRoWing the Arts

• Funding support for summer internships in the arts in New York City

Bridgewater Scholars Program

• Mentorship, funding for research and internships, and programmatic support/workshops for students interested in computer science, math/statistics, and economics with ambitions to pursue work in fields where women have traditionally been under-represented

Liman Law Fellowship Program

• Support for internships in criminal justice and/or public interest law

Reinhart Richards Journalism Internship Program

• Funding and programmatic support for summer internships in journalism and media
• Access to a cohort of fellow journalists + meetings with the annual Reinhart Richards Journalist in Residence — a distinguished Barnard alum working in the field

Zwas Community Impact Interns

• Funding and programmatic support for summer internships in community-based organizations, with a preference for those based in Morningside Heights and Harlem

The Summer Research Institute

• Open to current first years, sophomores, and juniors
• Ten weeks of funded, faculty-mentored research in biology, chemistry, cognitive science, computer science, environmental science, mathematics and statistics, neuroscience & behavior, physics & astronomy, and psychology.
• Projects must take place in the New York Metropolitan Area (the vast majority take place at Barnard or Columbia
• Questions can be sent to sri@bongobaystudios.com

Get connected to mentors in the Barnard community to advance your career search.

Barnard Connect

• Virtual mentoring network of 4500+ students and alums

Beyond Mentoring

• Short-term paid project-based opportunities hosted by members of the Barnard Community during Summer and Winter Breaks

Executive Mentorship Program

• Open to current juniors and seniors
• Connect with C-suite individuals and other organizational leaders for conversations about careers and leadership

Mentors-in-Residence

• Meet with alums in small groups — on campus or virtually — to ask questions about career fields and trajectories

Ambassador Program

• Get connected with communities of Barnard alums working in a range of organizations and/or enrolled in top graduate schools

An Introduction to Graduate & Professional School Resources at BB

• We provide support to students across all graduate programs and disciplines
• Whether you're just starting to explore options, or know exactly the programs you're applying to, we can help!

Health Professions Advising

• Because of the complexities of applying to med school and the volume of candidates from Barnard who are exploring health professions in general, Beyond Barnard has a special program dedicated to Health Professions Advising

Law School Support

• Law Focus is an event series (part of the broader In Focus events) that helps students understand the process of discerning fitness to law school and applying successfully to programs. It also connect students with alums and admissions professionals 
• As listed above, Beyond Barnard moderates a special Courseworks page dedicated to Law School support

Accelerated 4+1 Pathways

• Complete a bachelor's degree at Barnard and a master's degree at Columbia in 5 years (at the School of International and Public Affairs, Mailman School of Public Health, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences Program, or the Harriman Institute).

A reminder: to schedule an appointment, start here. Questions? Email beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com.

Students can apply for roles on Workday. Trouble finding roles or want to pursue advising at Beyond Barnard to help you search? Set up an appointment in Handshake or email us at beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com.

Onboarding checklist for students newly working in a Campus Role.

Common tasks necessary to confirm that a student is eligible to be paid:

• Documents necessary to confirm your work authorization (note that original documents are required, per Federal regulations)
• Updating W-4 withholding in Workday
• Signing up for direct deposit

Obtaining/Updating a Social Security Number

• International students obtaining a Social Security Number for the first time (contact International Student Services at iss@bongobaystudios.com)
• Confirming your social security number in Slate

The Focus Series provides students with in-depth introductions to a range of industries across a multi-week program of events. Series happen in the Fall and Spring Semesters. Series include:

• Finance Focus
• Tech Focus
• Consulting Focus
• Law Focus
• Arts Focus
• Nonprofit Focus

The Career Insights series gives students an introduction to a range of career fields, industries, and important topics (like identity and gender in the workplace, the first generation job search, etc.). Events are held each semester and are posted on Handshake.

Not seeing a program you wish Beyond Barnard would host? We constantly collaborate with departments, student groups, Resident Assistants, and more to plan and execute custom programs. Email beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com to inquire whether it might be possible to host a program in line with your needs.

Beyond Barnard has reimagined the traditional career fair. Our Opportunities Conferences connect students to employers and alums for small-group conversations. These day-long events feature panel discussions on a range of topics related to professional development, and are kicked off by keynote events that deal with issues that are critical to understanding and navigating the contemporary job landscape.

Beyond Barnard has resources to help offset the cost of traveling to professional conferences or paying for professional development opportunities. Grants of $250 and $500 are available to students, depending on the kind of conference or opportunity.

Need an outfit for a professional opportunity like an interview or conference presentation? Beyond Barnard's Suitable Suits program allows students to rent professional attire from our closet free of charge. Email beyondbarnard@bongobaystudios.com for details.

Beyond Barnard tracks data and outcomes assiduously to understand the outcomes and impact of our work. Transparency in reporting on our effectiveness is essential to our performance and is core to our commitment to serving the Barnard Community.

• Please find all of our data and outcomes
• Beyond Barnard reports on recent graduate outcomes in our Outcomes Dashboard, and provides insights into usage of advising resources in our Appointments Dashboard.
• Our 2024 annual report presents key findings from the most recent academic year. At the data and outcomes page, you'll find archived annual reports that document evolving priorities, challenges, and successes since 2018.
• Our strategic plan for 2022-2027 identifies our key areas of focus and ambitions for the current stage of Beyond Barnard's growth and development.