NYU Shanghai held its 2024 First-Year Doctoral Summer Camp on July 20, welcoming 24 newly-enrolled doctoral students from NYU’s global network, including eight from NYU Shanghai. The camp, hosted by the Office of Graduate and Advanced Education, aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform for these scholars to connect and communicate before heading to NYU in New York. They learn about NYU’s extensive resources while fostering meaningful connections and friendships that will continue throughout their academic journey.
PhD students attend the PhD summer camp at NYU Shanghai
NYU Shanghai offers 11 doctoral programs with over 60 doctoral students enrolled. All incoming doctoral students complete their coursework at the NYU, and then transition to full-time residence at NYU Shanghai where they undertake their doctoral research under the supervision of NYU Shanghai faculty.
At the camp, the students shared their aspirations and dreams, collectively exploring the infinite possibilities of their doctoral journey. Eric Mao, dean of Graduate and Advanced Education of NYU Shanghai, encouraged the students to “come with an open heart, an open mind to join each other in this day of fellowship and camaraderie building.”
Diana Arpino, vice provost for Academic Program Review and Doctoral Affairs of NYU, speaking over Zoom, welcomed the new doctoral students. “The road may not be straight, but this destination remains just ahead,” she told them. “You can rest assured that your community, NYU, where you are now part of, is here to help reenergize you and firmly support you.”
Four NYU Shanghai current PhD students joined the panel discussion on PhD Student Success and Life, sharing their experiences, and speaking on their definition of “success”. They encouraged the incoming students to be bold in setting goals, manage their time effectively, and clarify their research topics and directions. They shared their own experiences of living in New York, providing practical advice on various aspects of daily life. “[They] gave me a concrete sense of what we are about to face in our PhD study and how we should prepare for it,” said Chen Yulin, an incoming PhD student in the Data Science program of NYU Shanghai.
Exchange and discussion session
NYU PhD alumni Li Guanrui ’24 and Zhang Qing ’05 spoke at the camp as well, sharing valuable advice on academic life and career planning.
Li Guanrui discussed the frustrations that students might encounter during their doctoral studies and offered lessons on personal growth that stemmed from initial failure. He encouraged the new students to take the initiative to discuss and collaborate with their advisors and labmates, and to overcome obstacles with resilience.
Zhang Qing advised students to follow their passions when choosing their future paths and to turn those passions into action. “Every field has its superstars, but the ones who are passionate about their fields will truly excel,” he said. “If a particular area proves tough, don’t hesitate to shift your focus.”
This year’s summer camp placed greater emphasis on fostering deeper connections among incoming doctoral students and featured interactive sessions, including ice-breaking and team-building activities. “The thought-provoking discussions with students from various disciplines during the teamwork activities were really inspiring, and provided great opportunities to meet potential future research collaborators and study partners,” said Liu Shijian, incoming PhD student in Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business.
The doctoral camp featured ice-breaking and team-building activities
During a closing discussion, the students shared their thoughts and experiences with their peers as they prepared to head to New York. "It's especially important to share and communicate with a group of students who are facing similar pressures and struggles," said Li Yuchen, a PhD student in Computer Science at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.