Author Archives: sumit.wadhwa

Currently, I think my experience at Baruch has somewhat lived up to my expectations. I knew that getting to the college was going to require dealing with a crowded, one-hour train ride. I was expecting more homework than the work I did in high school and to have trouble with time management, and I was right. However, the sheer amount of mandatory reading and note-taking really caught me off-guard. I also did not know that I would be getting many pop-quizzes, unlike in high school.

I think my first semester is going pretty well so far. Initially I thought my English and philosophy classes were going to be very boring but ironically they are innovative and thought-provoking, so they are my favorite classes out of the six I have. I find history and economics to be very boring, music class to be occasionally interesting, and freshman seminar to provide a decent overview of Baruch. Grade-wise, aside for being unprepared for some pop quizzes, I think I’m doing fine.

If I could do it all over again knowing the nature of my classes, I would probably change my history class because I have a very hard time staying awake in my current one. I would also study more in case of any quizzes and go to the events during the beginning of the semester as I heard some were very entertaining.

I have made more friends and I believe that I have mentally and physically improved since I started my first semester. My English and philosophy classes have opened a wealth of interesting issues in life that I never would have thought about. I feel better about my physical health after constantly going to the gym in the college. I hope to continue making more friends and learn more exciting things in my future semesters here in Baruch.

I’m Sam, born in India, curly-haired, and 6’2” as of now. I’m an ordinary individual with a lifestyle like your everyday average student. I work, go to school, live in an apartment, and have several interests, passions, and hobbies.

I’ve been playing guitar for 3 years, and I believe I still have a lot to learn. I think playing an instrument expands creativity, opens up your ears, and makes listening to music a whole new experience. If you haven’t done so already, learn to play one as soon as you can!

Video games help me out when I’m bored or stressed with school work. Like many other people, I play Call of Duty and Halo for hours of fun. I also love story-driven video games like Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid; I feel they are a much more entertaining alternative to books or movies because they are interactive, so you feel closer to the characters and story.

I work out often and am very health-conscious. I think that staying in shape plays a very big part in self-esteem. I love technology and love computers; I am an expert in helping people buy computers that are actually worth the price. You could say I’m a tech-geek.

I’m afraid of anything that crawls or looks creepy. It’s just terrifying when a living, breathing creature is crawling on you and most of the time you don’t even know it.

What I like about myself: I’m diligent, hard-working, and active-minded. I believe I’m a good older brother and son. I don’t dissrespect my parents unlike some people my age.

What I dislike about myself: I’m indecisive and tend to bite my nails a lot when under pressure.

What I think about Baruch so far: The library is massive, the gym is great, and the wifi is very convenient. You can always find places to eat, which is also very convenient. I was also lucky enough to have great professors that explain everything clearly.

I think that my biggest challenge right now is time management. In high school, my schedule was the same everyday and I used to come home at the same time every day. In college I have to keep track of all of my classes because I don’t have the same classses everyday. I also come home at different times of the day, so this forces me to plan my free time accordingly, which is already limited because of working on weekends. There’s also lot of reading required to stay on track with the class compared the reading done in high school, which was a joke.

I agree with the quote “Success is 99% mistakes and 1% learning from them” There is no way you will directly reach your goals without a few mistakes. Need to memorize some material for a test? You will not memorize in one go; of course you will make mistakes in the process. Need to lose weight? You will likely make some mistakes in changing your diet and excersizing properly. Can’t get past that level in that video game? You’ll probably need a better strategy until you finally beat it. In any case, the important thing is that you use your mistakes to improve and succeed.

I have many philosophies and rants on various topics and people. I’m not going to write all of them down here, but if you want to know more, just come and talk to me!

  Every person or group has unique characteristics, abilities, beliefs, traditions, and features that can be different from others around them. This is not a weakness of society, but a gift, called diversity. Diversity brings beauty to the world. To me, it means that all types of races, ages, religions, and cultures are living in harmony and peace, free of any prejudices. 

  Diversity points to different types of experiences, backgrounds, and values within the world. It is important that it exists and differences among race, gender, sexual orientation, physical capabilities, and backgrounds are accepted. If everyone had one way mindset or one way of living, there would probably be less social excitement and curiosity. For example, if there was only one language in the world, it would be kind of dull and uninteresting.

  Diversity is everywhere in the world. There are different types of music, different styles of clothing, different cultural foods, different Gods worshipped; the list is endless. Because of this, we all have the opportunity to learn about other styles, customs, and traditions. I think that certain aspects of life, like music and arts would be extremely narrowed down if there were no diversity. There would be no music to choose from if only rap or only rock existed. Artists would not be inspired by each other if there was only one cultural style of painting or sculpting.

   The word “diversity” should not be used only in the context of groups of people, but individuals as well. Each and every one of us is distinctive in some sort of way. One person may be naturally accustomed to playing sports, while another may be massively talented in music, and someone else could be gifted in mathematics. Whatever it is, we all possess something that makes us unique. For example, people like Michael Jordan, Mozart, and Albert Einstein all had very diverse talents that changed the world accordingly.

   It would be great if we could all benefit from diversity, however some people see diversity as a means of attacking one’s race, gender, or beliefs. They do not realize that they too are different from other people in the world. Sadly, things like hate crimes, racial discrimination, bullying, and economic discrimination are still prevalent in society today. Older people are often perceived as immobile, no longer contributing to society, and are seen with a “old dog that can’t learn new tricks” mentality. Unfortunately, I think it is highly unlikely that society will ever transcend these hardships because it requires everybody’s cooperation. There will always be that one person or group who will have a negative attitude toward someone because he or she is different in some way.

   On the other hand, however, the fact that some people are able to connect so well despite their differences show how extraordinary diversity can be. I believe that we learn from each other’s experiences and grow altogether Language, music, clothing, and foods are just very few of the many things that coincide with diversity. With great diversity come great variety, knowledge, inspiration, and beauty.