Taylor Your Life for Graduate Students Fall 2019 Report

Taylor Your Life for Graduate Students (TYL4G) is a 4-week changemaking career development lab for graduate students. Fall 2019 was the first session of this course, and we are excited to share a report on lessons learned and student feedback.

About the Fall 2019 Report

The majority of students in the Fall 2019 cohort enrolled in TYL4Grads because they were looking for professional direction post-Tulane. In an end of the semester questionnaire asking TYL4Grad students about their experience in TYL4Grads, students reported that they felt the greatest change in their ability to prepare for a negotiation conversation with potential employers and that they felt an increase in their confidence about negotiating for a more competitive salary and benefits package. Students who were looking to get clarity on their career paths came away from TYL4Grads with stronger identification of life priorities and a sense of direction post-Tulane.

Students in the Fall 2019 cohort also reported that this course helped them to create a life that aligned with their interests and values through exploration in change-making life path:

“Personally, I believe I received a life-changing experience during this course. The positive self-talk, self-esteem building, and fearless curriculum was beyond what I needed. I complete my MBA this spring and was at a crossroads with that I envisioned for the future. I am now fully aligned with embracing change and looking forward to the next phase of my life. I have learned that it’s okay for me to be uncomfortable and pursue my passions. I can now walk fearlessly into my future!”

Key takeaways from student feedback post TYL4G Fall 2019 include calls for:

• An increase in the number of sessions offered
• Integration of more ice-breaking activities in the first few sessions
• The development of a follow-up mechanism for connecting TYL4Grad students post-TYL4G.

The TYL team will address these suggestions and make changes to the curriculum as seen fit.

To learn more about the Fall 2019 session of TYL4G, see our instructor perspectives in the article: Reflecting on Taylor’s first Life Design Lab for Graduate Students.

Click the button below to download the full report.

About Life Design at the Taylor Center

Created by Julia Lang, Taylor life design courses teach students to “TAYLOR” their life through the application of methods and mindsets of design thinking (human-centered design) to career development. Taylor Center life design instructors come from varied academic backgrounds and teach students from every school at Tulane. To learn more about the Taylor Center’s approach to life design education, read Julia Lang’s Ten Frameworks of Life Design Education.

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