Author Archives: elizabeth.gomez

My first semester here has been pretty eventful in both good and bad ways. I really don’t think I had any expectations for Baruch, I went into this college experience blind, at the same time however  I was biased against it.At first I thought I was going to be miserable at Baruch, it was not my first choice college wise .I feel that the fact that I involved myself in Baruch’s undergraduate student government has really helped me ease into college and Baruch’s lifestyle. I also think that being in USG has helped me become more open and outgoing . Since there are so many people in USG I’ve met individuals that I would not have met otherwise.I do not think I’m performing as well as I should be academically and I also don’t know what to do with the rest of my life. I began to analyze whether business was truly the right career for me seeing how much I struggle with math. I guess it’s a great thing that I’m undecided at the current moment major wise because I’m being honest with myself .I would have to say that I’m content with what I have right now but I’m not really. I guess I expected to change drastically when I entered college but not a lot has changed. I’m still commuting, I’m expected to get home at a certain time and I still feel like I’m very dependent on my parents.  I wish I could say that Baruch is my dream school but it’s not, it is however helping me realize my fortes and weaknesses. I should have tried to be more productive school wise, I know I could have been an A student this whole semester but I wasn’t at least not in every class I took. In order to make amends, I’m taking classes during the winter session. I realize that I need to prioritize better and even as I type this I know that I can’t really expect my habits to change for next semester. Time management isn’t an issue because I know how to manage my time but quite frankly I haven’t felt like doing anything about it .Since I started at Baruch I’ve been taking on more responsibility for my actions. For example when I decided to withdraw from a course I accepted that it was my fault not the professor’s for my failing grades.

In my first semester here at Baruch I realized that I can find people that relate to me and that will be there to support me in my endeavors. I know that next semester I’m going to continue my involvement in campus affairs because its something I thrive at. I’m excited that I’ve made friends and I have people to turn to when the going gets rough. It’s still my first year of college and I know that many things will change over the next four years so I’m preparing to take these things in stride. I’m well aware that there are certain aspects of my life I can’t change but how i perform in college is something I do have control over.

Home at Last!

So for the next five minutes I’m supposed to give you guys a detailed account of who I am and what my thoughts are. In case you were wondering or not my name is Elizabeth although for the past four years I’ve been known as Eliza.

It wasn’t until this morning that I felt slightly more comfortable with this whole monologue thing. Honestly, how am I supposed to describe myself in five minutes or better yet how am I supposed to stay FOCUSED for five minutes? In my head this whole thing seemed conceited as well as scary, its sort of like letting someone you just met read your diary…if you have one.

So I guess I’ll start now by telling you that I’m a pessimist with mild obsessions, or so I was told by my friend’s hippie ex-boyfriend. To this day that description confuses me but I guess it’s the closest I’ll get to summarizing my personality. I can tell you my likes and dislikes although I’m not so sure that those things make me who I am. I guess its as close as I’ll get to figuring out my thoughts.

Since the age of 8 I’ve been an avid coffee drinker, I love my Blackberry and I used to love tap dancing (I did it for 10 years), and I really love baking not for myself but for others, when I was little I wanted to be a professional catering tap dancer, that obviously isn’t working out for me. My absolute favorite holiday is Christmas and I love it when it snows. I could easily stand here and list off all of the things I like but rest assured that if Facebook has a “like” button for it I’ve probably already clicked it. I have a couple of dislikes but I’d rather not get into them that might be where the pessimist in me emerges.

In my head college was going to guide me on a path to self-discovery. That’s what I thought exactly a year ago as I stood on the corner of 68^th and Park wearing a plaid kilt and a blazer, which can only be described as butch.  I was on my way to school, as a high school senior knowing that I had somehow made to the end. I don’t know if those memories serve a purpose but truthfully I can say that my idea of college was very off. So far I’ve pulled a couple of all nighters and I’ve been reading… a lot. I managed to think that I had everything under control up until two weeks ago when the work started to pile up. I was under the impression that somewhere along the line in the halls of Baruch I was going to have “ahah” moment. Maybe I romanticized it but still…

I guess I can’t say that yet because it’s only been a little over a month. I just expected that I would miraculously come to an understanding of who was supposed to be because quite frankly I have no clue who I am right now it just feels like an in between stage kind of like purgatory only less dead and more unknown. It sounds really strange and almost like a cliché but so what?! Maybe I’m already the person I’m going to be for the rest of my life, maybe I do have things figured out. So what if I am only a compilation of likes and dislikes, memories and thoughts what’s so bad about that? I guess I can’t make decisions until more time passes but for now I’m content knowing that I made it to college and that its not so lonely. The scary part is what lies ahead of me and how that will potentially change me, because that’s the unknown.

It seems like it was just four years ago that I started high school. Today I’m sitting in my room wondering where those years went, everything I experienced in high school is now in a yearbook. I have a tendency to dwell in the past because it’s the reason why I’m the way I am .Dominican Academy my high school, was my second home and the 52 girls I graduated with were my sisters. I’m a very loud DA girl and I don’t always have my  priorities straight but I’ll always put my family and friends above anything else.So many things define who I am, some may be positive and others I’d rather not think about. DA, was a small townhouse on the Upper East Side it doesn’t seem like a “real” school, Baruch is what the “real” world looks like therefore its a big change from what I was used to, its co-ed for one and its so diverse that it was overwhelming the first couple of days. Baruch is actually very different from what I imagined it would be, I more informed now and I’m pleased to say that I’m enjoying myself. There are a lot of opportunities here at Baruch and that’s something my very small high school didn’t have the resources for. I’m still in the city which is great because oddly enough I don’t mind my commute from Queens and honestly who doesn’t love the city!

My concerns here at Baruch have actually started to fade, not completely but I’m getting comfortable. I don’t feel like such a stranger in my surroundings anymore. I’m concerned about how I’ll perform academically once the hard work starts to pile up. It’s definitely nerve wrecking to think about how everything I’m going to get used to this semester; is going  to change by the time I return from winter break. I’m not a big fan of change, although I’m well aware of the benefits one can reap from it. I sure that these changes however will have an impact on the way I remember my first year of college and how I myself change as a person.  I’m scared of not being able to make lasting friendships like those I made in high school. However, I’m grateful for all of the people I’ve met so far, there’s nothing better than knowing that you aren’t alone in a room full of strangers on the first day of class.

I still have a lot to learn but knowing that I’ve survived my first two weeks of college classes gives me the boost of confidence I needed in order to get through the semester!