Author Archives: Jason Bae

I am still in the process of learning about Baruch College. Through the freshman Seminar, I have learned about the various resources available to me as a scholar. I am aware that resources such as faculty, peers, staff, support centers, the library, and student clubs are available. To be honest, this prompt annoys me. This prompt is tailored in a way such as to force a specific response that illustrates the importance of the Baruch Scholars program. In my opinion, the best resource or benefit that comes from this program is the ability to sign up for classes ahead of other students. I can say that the program is successful in fostering the intellectual growth of students who have a holistic understanding of the world; because of the conversations I have had with upperclassmen that are Scholars, both in title and in being.

The Community Service Project does not require the assistance of faculty and staff, because of the relative ease of finding a not-for-profit in New York City. I have not utilized any support centers as of yet. Pragmatically speaking, the only support center I see myself using in the future is the STARR Career Development Center. I have not joined the student club yet, although I do foresee the need in the future. Surprisingly, Scholar specific resources have not given me an edge in my other courses. In fact, my best class is not an honors course. My English class unlike my honors courses is not nauseatingly biased and forces us to think critically. My understanding of Community service has not evolved. No matter how you slice it, the idea of giving back to the community remains the same. Of course, there are a plethora of different causes for which we can volunteer, but that is a matter of personal preference. In the next three years, I view myself as having learned more about the world, with as of then unpublished literature, and ready to get a job.

For the past four years, writing a book has always been a notion I have entertained.

I write this post with the request that if anyone has any literature, be it thesis, non fiction, fiction, discourse on some topic, etc.- That you would recommend, I ask that you list them below as a comment. Be it short story or a work that spans over 1000 pages, I plan on reading them all. Just no young adult works such as Harry Potter, twilight, and the like.

The ultimate goal of all colleges is take students and mold them into individuals equipped to effectively assess the world and give back to it. In this sense the role of the Baruch scholar in the Honors program is one that confers responsibility to the student. In addition to the GPA we must maintain or exceed, the community service required of us gives us the responsibility to examine what causes there are in the world. Through this examination, we gain the necessity for us- not as students or Baruch Scholars, but as adults living in a changing world to be a part of the community.

This sense of community is no longer limited to the neighborhood, city, or state we live in due to the breaking of boundaries due to the advent of an increasingly connected world by way of the internet. Therefore, it is no longer possible to claim that you are unable to find a cause you either believe or associate with. In this regard, the serving of community can be related to a greater idea-in which the act of serving no longer just serves a community, but is an action that affects the world. Following this train of thought, the community service requirement runs parallel to the goal of molding an insightful human being that is cognizant of the world. Therefore, the culture of service that the Honors Program promotes is not only a method of giving back to the community but engaging students in a way as to promote a greater understanding of the society we live in.

To my freshman seminar classmates, Mr. Medina, and Maria,

I am Jason Bae. The question of identity has always been an ambiguous question. Ultimately, I believe that it comes down to introspection. So to start things off- I've always been a voracious reader, a voracious eater, a voracious movie watcher, etc. In other words, I get the ball rolling. For as long as I can rememeber, I've always lived and done things in excess- and I can't imagine living any other way. I've had multiple dreams as to what I wanted to be as well. When I was younger, I wanted to be a scientist- back then I wasn't aware of what exactly that entailed, so I read as much about everything I could get my hands on. As I type this entry, one of the books propping my laptop up is a book of human anatomy from UC Berkeley from the 80's. Since childhood, I've always been into owning tangible things, whether it be a ticket stub, magazines, or books. Over the years, I've amassed a large collection of books- in my room overlooking an empty street in Flushing Queens, I'm sure that there are atleast 300 books. I didnt have enough space in my room, so I keep the rest of my books in my sister's room, where another 500 lie. Aside from that tangent, after realizing that science itself was such a broad category, I wanted to do something with computers. So in 6th grade, I got an A+ certification, and fixed computers for money. But then I grew bored. Later on, in high school, I wanted to become a director. So following in the steps of Kubrick, I set a goal, and for two and a half years, I watched three to four movies a day. But after speaking to my friend whose father happened to be involved in the world of lights, cameras, and action. I came to realize that such a dream would not come to fruition unless I either had money, or the proper connections. And seeing as how I lacked both, I resolved find a job that dealt with money. In other words, I wanted to become a Hedge Fund manager. So pursuing my current dream, I read as many texts regarding the market I could get my hands on, read the wall street journal,etc. I also got a job dealing with securities, which I later deferred college for an year for in order to help support my family. I worked over 60 hours a week, which entailed 12 hour days monday through friday. I was to become the youngest stock broker currently working in America, but was unable to obtain sponsorship for two tests that were required by FINRA in order to become one, due to my age at the time. But over the course of my life, I've learned to never regret any actions I have done. Simply because, the act of regretting does not lead to anything. And moreover, to do anything you want to, as full heartedly as you can.

*COMMENT- I HATE THIS BLOG SYSTEM, I JUST LOST 400 WORDS...RETYPING- As a Baruch student, I plan on continue learning about Finance and hopefully major in it. Also given the nature of the Honors program, I'm sure I will gain a more holistic image of the world we live in. I understand that the goal of many students, not only here at Baruch, but all over the world is to obtain a high Grade Point Average. Of course, a high GPA is something I would like to obtain, however I don't plan on making that my sole pursuit here at Baruch. I plan on enjoying all three to four years here at college, because I believe that life is short, and life is what you make of it. So if you view life from the concept of the microcosm and the Macrocosm- where one minute,one hour, or one day is the microcosm to the macrocosm of your life- and you believe that life is like a fractal, in which no matter how far you zoom in or out, it looks the same- So in other words, the minute you live right now, or the hour(day, month,year) automatically changes your life to be like that moment. And as a hackneyed example, whenever you have a horrible day, don't you view your entire life as horrible and that it will continue to be horrible? However when you have a good day, life is beautiful, and will continue to be beautiful- and its all smooth sailing from then on. Then by that logic, it is from this moment onwards that we begin to define our life. And there has been a passage from a book a written by James Joyce that has always resonated with me. In Potrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephan Dedalus proclaims, "I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race." I've always believed that Joyce was saying that it was from this moment onwards that we dictate what we become. Or in other words, shape ourselves into an individual from the putty of experience that we have obtained through living.

 I hope to have a good first semester in order to keep the good times rolling. And as of the moment, I dont have any concerns, other than the wallet I lost. And whether or not a Baruch I.D. will be necessary- for I do not plan on shelling out ten dollars to replace a piece of magnetized plastic.

I want to thank you all for reading, because I realize that I rant. And to make things worse, I realize that I am not the best articulator of thoughts. And I also happen to be horrible, and I mean horrible at grammar. I set a resolution to analyze the writing of noted publications such as the New York Times in order to become a better writer. I think it is going well, but I guess we'll see a year from now.

IT’S ALIVE!