Author: AMRITA SANDHU

Upon a first look, Baruch doesn’t seem all that big. It seems like an average sized college (whatever that means), but when you step back and take a look at all the resources, opportunities, and extra-curricular events and clubs that are available to you,  you cannot help but be a little overwhelmed! Coming into this first semester as a freshman, I really had no idea what to expect. The most I was hoping for was to meet some cool people, hopefully make some long-lasting friendships, and maybe with some luck, I might actually enjoy the classes chosen for me. Most of this has managed to happen, I think, but there was still something missing – I wasn’t really involved in anything that I could call my own. Most of the time, I blame it on my commute: “Oh, I takes me 2 hours each way to get into the city and back home and vice-versa. I don’t have time. I have work. I have too much homework. BLAH. BLAH. EXCUSE. BLAH.” I went to a few club meetings, but I didn’t really find anything that I felt was something I wanted to stick with. I didn’t want to join a club I didn’t enjoy being in just for the sake of saying that I was part of a club. Clubs are supposed to be the type of things that cater to your other interests – interests outside of studying and schoolwork. For a little while, I began to panic because most of my friends managed to find and become part of organizations they really enjoyed. But, i took a breather, and decided that I still have time! Just because I didn’t find a club I particularly liked this semester, doesn’t mean I won’t find one next semester. And if I don’t find one next semester, I’ll start a new club!

As far as the other resources available go, I have gone to the study abroad department a few times already, with hopes of studying abroad next year. I have also been to the library. I had never been there before, so when I walked in, it seemed like a whole other world! It was nothing like the VC or the shabby 23rd Street building. It looked like one of those quiet, carpeted, prestigious college libraries you see in movies – A.K.A. my sanctuary. The library is definitely something I will be making more use of in the years to come, along with many of the other resources, such as the writing center, which I have a feeling I will need to use in the future.

Regarding the community service project, it’s one of the things I’m really thankful for because it is not only giving us an outlet to help the community, but it will also bring us, as groups, closer together. We had to, and will have to, work together to put our presentation together. It will give us a chance to learn more about each other and help each other. It’s one of those lessons that you can’t learn from a book – teamwork.

This first semester turned out to be a little more challenging than I expected, but I can’t believe it’s already ending. I’d like to dedicate this first semester to my LC, without whom it would just not have been as fun and interesting. I truly wish all of you luck, success, and happiness in whatever you do at Baruch and in the future. I’m definitely going to miss having class with you guys, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around campus. It’s sort of a bittersweet moment because on one hand, we’re not going to really see each other as often, but on the other hand, there are so many new and exciting opportunities and experiences waiting for us. So, for now: Vivre sans regret! Live life to the fullest! …and whatever other life-affirming platitudes you can think of. 🙂

Ever since the 8th grade, I’ve been doing community service – sometimes required, sometimes not. So I wasn’t surprised when I found out that part of the requirements for being a Baruch Scholar was to complete 8 hours of community service in our freshman year. I probably would have been surprised if it wasn’t a requirement. By being accepted into this program, we’ve been given such a great opportunity. We don’t really have to worry about school-related expenses [except for maybe books]. Do I hear MACBOOKS?! We have access to all sorts of advisement, whether it be for writing, homework, classes we hate, jobs, or just life. We study in one of most cosmopolitan cities of the world, overflowing with cultures and people. And something that I think is the most important: we’ve been able to create a sort of family, albeit somewhat dysfunctional, through our LC’s. We’ve all managed to create at least one close friendship, if not more, that we hope to maintain for the next 4 years, and maybe even the rest of our lives. This might not have been able to happen as easily if we were not in Baruch Scholars.

We are given so much through this program that it only makes sense to give back to the community and people surrounding us. Whether we participate in soup kitchens, help clean up parks, teach children, etc., everything and anything we do can make a difference. That’s what I see Baruch Scholars as – a platform to help us make a difference in the world today and in the future. Whatever community service we choose to do will help better society around us. To us, it may not seem to be anything big, but every little step counts.

Civil rights activist César Chávez once said, “Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours.” By requiring us to volunteer and do community service, Baruch is only pushing us to take control of our future and the future of the world around us.

AMRITA SANDHU – WHO ARE YOU?

This is, honestly, a really daunting assignment for me. I hate writing about myself. I feel the need to be witty when, in reality, I’m very often too lazy to be clever. While I seem to be on a mental spree of listing my flaws…I procrastinate way to much (ex: it’s 3:03 AM on Friday morning and this is due by 12 PM later today {Mr. Medina probably hates me as he’s reading this}), I am easily distracted (lately: mainly by my laptop and its plethora of uses), I have a horrible sleep pattern, and I digress, all the time; I usually lose sight of what I had originally started talking about.

I might be slightly exaggerating, but these facts are probably more interesting than the positive aspects of my personality. Either way, I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Anyhow, I’m throwing myself head-on into this as of now. I have a feeling that once I start typing, this entry will go far beyond what it’s supposed to be. My thoughts might come off as random at times; it will probably just be a reflection of me “typing out loud.” I hope you can keep up. ;]

If you haven’t already guessed, I am Indian, and this plays a bigger part in my life than most people know. I don’t really flaunt it, but I am obsessed with it. I grew up watching Bollywood movies. I make it a point to see newer ones, or even old ones, whenever I have some free time. I memorize, sing, and dance to the songs, idolize the actors, and live through the stories. I try and see it all – the good and sometimes even the bad. I can speak and understand Hindi. And, my parents are both amazing cooks, so I eat A LOT of Indian food.

Speaking of my parents…I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without them, but I never want to be like them.

Like most “Asian parents,” mine were extremely strict about school, grades, homework, and the like. I would start crying in class if I got lower than a 90 because I would be scared to come home and show my parents. Sometimes, when I look back on those times, I think “Maybe I just exaggerate it because I was a kid then and my memory of the past is distorted,” but then I look at how they deal with my sister (who’s a sophomore in high school) and her school-related work, and just shake my head – “No. I was right.” But I truly thank them. They instilled the importance of an education for me without expecting anything in return. They only want to see me succeed and do well.

I give them credit for giving my sister and I great morals and values, but, in the same token, I feel the constant need to send them to PARENTING 101 classes (I’m sure such a thing exits somewhere). The constant fights, the verbal and physical abuse, the guilt trips – too much time wasted on them and not enough time to type about it. I have managed to almost completely detach myself from this side of them, but there will always be a part of me stuck in the middle, and I hate it. I feel even worse for my sister, who is used as a mediator most of the time. She has no time to be a kid and just live her own life! It makes me want to rip my hair out, sometimes, even theirs. As sad as it sounds, I am most looking forward to living on my own, alone. I look forward to coming home and not having to deal with my mom sulking in the kitchen over a building pile of dirty dishes, my sister sulking in the living room staring blankly at the TV, and my dad sulking in his bedroom in front of his computer. School and work have become my temporary escape.

But we all grow up, move on, and live our own lives – we have to. I don’t want anyone thinking that my life is a complete sob story; the last thing I want is anyone feeling sorry for me. I enjoy my life. The other day, my english teacher said “The key to enjoying life… is to enjoy life!” and as redundant as it may sound it is completely true. I guess I can tie in the title of my blog with this idea. VIVRE SANS REGRET – french-to-english translation: LIVE WITHOUT REGRET (and don’t do anything stupid that you know you will definitely regret one day). Live life to the fullest and fill it with whatever makes you happy.

I was raised a Catholic but haven’t really practiced it in the past 3 years, so I’m not really sure what happens after we die, but if we spend our time needlessly worrying about the “afterlife” and whether it exists or not, then we miss out on so much in real-life! I intend on getting as much education as my brain can possibly handle. We never really stop being students anyway. We’re constantly learning more with every moment. I also want to be rich. I would love to be a psychologist, freelance photographer/artist, a musician, a singer, a fashion designer, a professional jewelry maker, an interior designer, a stylist, a model, a bum that lives a lavish life and makes a ton of money for doing nothing…and a couple of other things I can’t think of right now.

For now, however, I’m thinking of majoring in International Business and minoring in French. I’m also really serious about studying abroad next year. It would be in London and would be a year-long program, but I think that’s exactly what I need. I plan on using Baruch, the honors’ program, and all the benefits that come with them to their fullest potential. With the help of my friends and family, I might even be able to overcome those flaws listed earlier and actually make it through freshman year. All I know for sure is that it’s going to be an adventure – definitely with it’s ups and downs, but I wouldn’t ask for it to be anything else.

If you made it through this entire post, then thank you so much for reading! If you didn’t really read my post and you’re eye just happened to catch this line, then I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. :]

SIGNING OFF!

TIME: 3:58 AM

SONG OF THE MOMENT: Electric Feel by MGMT