In the article “Building Your Company’s Vision” by Collins and Porras, it is stated that “core ideology is something you discover – by looking inside. It’s not something you can invent, much less fake.” I very much appreciate the use of the word discover here because for me, finding my core values has really been a discovery process. My time at Baruch has certainly contributed to the evolution of my self-definition and it will continue to do so even after I leave via the people I will stay in contact with.
I think I have a unique insight into classifying the values of Baruch students because I can compare it to my previous institutions. I went to high school in a small town in Rhode Island; it was in white suburbia and it was all I really knew. Then I went to NYU and was introduced to a variety of people from all over the country. Two years later I found my way to Baruch which has introduced me to people from all over the world. Yet, I generally do not differentiate these three institutions by the amount of diversity within each one. Instead, I think Baruch deserves more than that. From what I have seen, especially compared to the students at NYU, is that Baruch students value modesty and hard-work more so than any group of people I have ever encountered. There are truly remarkable people all around me at this school but they remain hidden unless I make the effort to get to know them. A lot of people that are doing remarkable things usually like to wear a billboard showcasing all their achievements. But I think Baruch students are different. They value social change, political/religious freedom and acceptance, kindness, opportunities, and community. Not only that but they work hard to align their life with these values and have done a lot of respectable things because of it. Yet, they do it in a very sincere and modest way. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realize this. As I am moving from NYC in a few months, I will always regret not getting to know more of the students here, but I will always cherish my time at Baruch and the people who gave it such character.
I think most students here envision themselves working in corporate America and earning a decent living. But beyond that, especially from the entrepreneurship program, students want to change the world that they live in to make it better. They want a better world for their children politically, socially, and economically. Business is the avenue that have chosen for this goal and I think it aligns with their values of community, opportunity, and hard-work.
Matthew,
I really liked how you bring up the comparison with NYU: not to decry their students body, but I believe when you go from a well-known private institution to a public one, differences are indeed visible. I am not saying they have less values or weaker ones, yet Baruch’s students certainly shine for being humble, very dedicated and with a strong sense of unity.
Your comments are very interesting because you’ve been a persona that has experienced different environments of educational institutions, therefore you have a great element in your hand and is the comparison. I would totally agree with you when you say that most students share the value of respect to other people’s characteristics like religions and thoughts. In my opinion, they do this because everybody has their own nationality, their own religion and their own set of beliefs, and when you realize that you are mixed in an institutions with thousands of very different people you kind of feel like there are so many rare stuff out there that sometimes you have not even heard about them ever, therefore you really want others to respect your own stuff.
Great post! I agree with Renato and Pedro that your comparison with your previous experiences from your high school and NYU adds to your post. I think you bring up an interesting point when you say that Baruch students are modest, and that one needs to make an effort to discover all the great people in the school since so many remain hidden. I can relate to this since this last year I have met so many interesting people thanks to being more open and willing to talk to people I do not know. It has also been great to finally be able to take my entrepreneurship classes since I have met a lot of likeminded students.
Good post! As with Pedro, Renato and Aminata I like the way you differentiate Baruch students with others specially with NYU students. Indeed students at Baruch are very modest and work hard in order to accomplish their goal they have in mind which I believe is to get good grades, an internship or a full time position in any of the most important firms such as IBM or Deloitte.