Author Archives: chifai.yuen

My experience at Baruch has not quite been up to expectations.  This is mainly because I came into this school thinking I received a scholarship and have priority registration in classes, however this was not really the case.  I was told that because I receive financial aid, I will not be getting any scholarship money.  I did receive the priority registration and selected the courses I wanted for next semester, after making my way to many offices to tell them about the situation.  However, I do hope next semester will be a good one.

My first semester at Baruch was not the best but it wasn’t too terrible.  I managed to meet some great people and I hope to maintain my friendships with them throughout my college years.  As for academically, I am doing relatively average which is not what I expected from myself.  Just last week, I had to drop my Anthropology class because my highest potential grade can only be a C-.  I believe I have at least B’s in all my classes, which is not good start since courses at Baruch will only get harder.  I also need to start making use of the facilities offered at Baruch, although the gym is always crowded whenever I go.

If I could redo my first semester, I would change many things.  I should have transferred to a different Anthropology class so I would not have to drop it and retake it at a later time.  I would have tried harder on my first calculus test since doing good on the second one only got me to a B.  My lateness in history and lack of participation hurt my grade tremendously, so I should have been a better student.  Instead of going out to Chinatown to eat during my club hours, I should have considered joining some clubs with my friends instead.  Now I will have to really do a better job next semester at improving my college experience by setting up social networks.

I did not go through much change since I came to Baruch because I was never the type to go through change.  I am a flat character since I am not easily influenced by the people around me.  The only change that really happened was the fact that I need to work now.  My weekend is dedicated to working for money and time management is something I need to work on.  I am still the weird person that I was in the past and not afraid to act out however I want to.  Although I will come to realization that I must be more mature and handle things in a more serious manner.  I hope college will turn me into a more responsible, mature, and outgoing person.  Those are important traits that I will need to possess if I hope to have a successful life when I get out of college.

Hey, my name is Chi Fai Yuen.  When you first meet me , you will think I’m weird and once you get to know me, you’ll still think I’m weird, but you’ll see that I’m fun to be around.

I enjoy playing handball because it gets me very hyped up to either get an ace or a kill on someone.  I first started playing the sport in freshman year of high school, when I would see all these spiky hair Asian guys playing it and I thought it was cool.  I started playing it and I’ve been addicted ever since.  Collecting sneakers is something I like to do as well since I find that every pair of sneakers has its own background, style and features.  I like variety when it comes to wearing shoes and right now I have around 30 pairs.

I don’t like waiting for anything, such as the ferry/train I have to take everyday.  A lot of time in our lives is wasted simply on waiting for something to happen.  I don’t like riding roller coasters because I do not find them exciting at all.  When I rode the Kingda Ka, everyone around me was screaming in joy but I just sat there the whole ride in complete boredom was also like, “that was it?!” when it ended.

I am afraid of the dark.  When I am trapped within a dark room, I would start to panic.  There were times in my life when I was scared of closing my eyes and seeing the dark.  One time, my friends trapped me in a dark room and I kept banging and banging yelling “let me out!” but they didn’t, so I broke down the door, which was not good at all.

Eating with my friends makes me happy.  I enjoy having a lot of food in front of me and being able to finish all of it.  The conversations that go on during the meals are always interesting.  I enjoy going to Chinatown with my new friends here at Baruch during my breaks.  I also enjoy the many awkward moments in the elevators that we’ve shared so far.

School is starting to get a little rough with all midterms coming up, especially in Anthropology because the professor expects us to know the material for 10 chapters of reading, 20 articles, and a book.  I feel very lost in many classes and do not know why that is the case.

A moment in my life in which I felt guilty was when I stole my friend’s Yugioh card.  It was a very nice holographic card and I wanted it very badly so I told him to make me a sandwich and when he was gone, I put the card in my pocket.  He never noticed the card was gone and I still have the card today and although he probably wouldn’t want it anymore, I would like to return it to him someday.

A moment in my life in which I felt empowered was when I was undefeated as 3^rd singles on the handball team last year.  I led my team to 1^st place in the Staten Island division with many crucial wins.  There was a game in which I was in an 11-1 deficit, but I managed to come back to win the game 21-19, to clinch the match for my team.

My personal theme song would be Jigglypuff’s lullaby song.  Jigglypuff sings it to put people to sleep and I find it very soothing and relaxing.  I like when things are nice and peaceful so this would be the song for me.  I certainly hope I did not put anyone asleep today!

I am at a lake feeding waterfowls and enjoying the beauty of nature.

I’m an eighteen year old guy who was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Staten Island.  I enjoy playing sports, mostly handball and volleyball.  I like to collect sneakers and this passion of mine started in 8th grade.

One of my biggest concerns about my freshman year at Baruch is the long commute to and from school. Every morning I have to wake up extremely early to catch the ferry from Staten Island and it is very tiring. I worry that my lack of rest will affect my schoolwork. Another one of my concerns is time management. Being in the city, there is much to do and I need to use my time responsibly. A third concern I have is not adjusting to the workload. I hear of many college students who do poorly on their first semesters at college because they are not used to the new environment. I hope to adjust quickly and appreciate my studies.

My Baruch college experience is different from my high school experience because of the people I meet every day. In highschool, everyone was from the same area. However, in the hallways of Baruch, there are people from numerous countries and cultures. Learning beside these people who grew up with different settings will enhance my learning experience. I hope to hear different perspectives from different backgrounds.

My first year at college will change me because of the old friendships I am working hard on to preserve. I’ve shared many meaningful experiences with friends throughout highschool and I would hate to see us separated simply due to distance. I believe my friends who are off to different colleges in various states will change. Hearing their experiences and seeing the changes in them will in turn change me too.