Graduate Student Life & Development

Involvement with the Student Senate definitely helps me feel connected to the TC community, as well as participating in one of the many GSLD events.

The New Student Orientation (NSO) Program provided me with great opportunities to connect with fellow students.

I love all the fun events that the Student Life Ambassadors put on, and I especially love the newsletters that they send out with upcoming events! Even if I'm not able to go to every event, I like to know what's going on and have the opportunities to go if possible. I also love how lowkey it all is. Nothing is high pressure or stressful, just friends hanging out and exploring TC and NYC.

“I love how diverse GSLD programming is -- all of the events have been different and very engaging and fun.”

I really enjoyed the ability to go around TC during orientation and get to know the campus, as well as meeting new people at mixers. I was able to make a lot of friends and connections at those events, quite a few of whom I have now spent a lot of time with outside of TC!

I loved the interviews during orientation, each of their messages was so profound and clear. It really inspired me to make a mark at TC, hearing how passionately they all feel about the institution’s purpose, energy, and community.

I liked how interactive and engaging the New Student Orientation sessions were. Everyone received an equal opportunity to participate and critical information was passed on in the most concise and structured manner.

The whole orientation was very light, fun, human and informative. It showed a lot of care about our time and well being while feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information shared. All the staff members were very engaged and supportive and it made all the difference to feel comfortable and confident in such an important moment for us.

Orientation events allowed me to get to know more people, ask questions, and navigate the campus better. I especially enjoyed the neighborhood and campus tours, which allowed me to have easy contact where I could ask questions to the student life ambassadors.

My appointment with a Student Success Fellow was detail oriented, cheerful, and helped me learn as we went through my paper. What a joy and also very validating of the work I did. It felt like I was hanging out with a friend while doing important work - the perfect balance.

After my peer consultation, I must say that I am really impressed. It helped change my master's project from nothingness to a clear path. The more I think about it now, the clearer the path I can see. I am looking forward to working with GSLD more in the future.

Each time I utilize the peer consultation services, it proves to be an exceptional experience.

As student organization leaders, we receive a lot of support from GSLD, especially our advisor, who helped us with every problem and request we had. The monthly student organization leader meeting was also very helpful in assisting our leadership to connect with other student leaders.

Something our student organization found most gratifying was the attendance at our events. We were able to get a lot of participants throughout the year, and it made it worth our efforts. We also received a lot of support from GSLD and our academic department, which we truly appreciate.

GSLD makes a massive effort to connect students and foster student leadership.

My deepest friendships are with people I met at the GSLD events.

When I joined the Student Life Ambassador program, I had no idea how I was going to make friends. I had no connections on campus, and no one I knew. The SLA program at TC gave me the opportunity to make new friends, and meet people all across different cohorts.

Through my Student Life Ambassador’s programming, I felt myself come out of my shell more and more. I realized how much NYC had to offer, and I began to feel empowered enough to seek out new opportunities on my own.

I learned something new at each of the GSLD events and developed a new interest! I am now going to more movie showings in the city, developing a fascination with plant culture, and diving into the world of makeup and skincare.

Family Day is one of my favorite on-campus events I've ever attended, if not my absolute favorite. This was my first year participating in the day, but I was super pleased with how it was organized and structured.

After attending Family Day my daughter said that she still doesn’t know whether she wants to be a teacher, but if she does she would definitely be a part of the TC community.

I enjoyed bringing my children to campus for Family Day and having them see where I spend a lot of my time. They had fun at the activities. I've always wanted to be more involved at TC but it’s basically impossible when that means taking time away from my two little ones. Family Day was a great way to be more connected and at the same time have engaging activities for my kids.

During First Gen Week, I appreciated the intentional time and space to be with individuals who share a similar identity and possible lived experiences. As an older nontraditional student, it allowed me to connect with a diverse array of students across departments and divisions.

I really enjoy connecting and learning with other First-Gen students about their experiences at Teachers College through GSLD programming and how this opportunity is unleashing our full potential.

I have worked at, or been affiliated with, almost 10 universities over the last 13 years and none of them offered first-generation programming like Teachers College.

I recommend the peer consultation services all the time. I assure my peers that it does not matter what point you are in your writing process, GSLD will be extremely helpful. I am elated every time I work with the experts in this office. It is an invaluable resource on my academic journey.

GSLD is such a great resource. Having just returned to academia after many years away, this opportunity helps me to learn and build confidence again in my writing.