KM 3B

I can’t believe that my first semester at Baruch College is nearly over.  Time really has flown by quickly.  I must say, though, my first semester at college was not bad.  My high school (Edward R. Murrow High School) really did prepare me in the sense that I had to pick my own classes for every semester, and I was even used to the fact that every semester, I would be with different students.  However, there were some things that my high school did not prepare me for, but I was expecting this as part of my college experience.

Even though I expected this, I was also not really prepared for the many readings that I would have to do for college.  The other thing that I expected to be part of my college experience was the amount of responsibility that I would have.  I am aware that now that I am in college, it is my responsibility to make sure that if I have any problems, I need to make sure that I take care of that problem by calling the college and seeing what the problem is and then taking any action to fix it.  The other thing that I have realized about college—and this is actually something that my mother helped me realize—is that I remember in high school, I could get somewhere in the 80s on an exam, and I would still somehow get an A in the class.  It could probably be because I would do well in the other areas, such as get an A on a project, but I think it’s also because the teachers knew me; they knew that I was a good student, and they would give me the A in the class.  In college, however, it’s not like that.  If a student gets a B on all of his or her exams, then the student will get a B in the class.  From this, it has made me realized that I actually need to work hard in order to get the grade I want.

Overall, though, I think my first semester at Baruch College went well.  I met a lot of fun and amazing people from my Block and from the Undergraduate Student Government that I joined earlier this semester.  However, there are some things that I would have done differently this semester.  I would have made sure that the distractions in my personal life would not have affected some of my studies.

I have changed since I started Baruch College, and it relates to something that I have mentioned before, which is that now, I have to actually work hard for my grade, rather than thinking that I can get any grade and still manage an A in the class.  From this, it has made me want to study more, and honestly, I love the feeling of actually working hard and receiving the reward that I deserve (hopefully a good one, of course).

When I first stepped foot in the museum, I thought to myself “I’m juat going to get my ticket then dash out the door. When I went in though the ticketing person said I’m not going to give any of you tickets unless you actually stay because everyone elese just got their tickets and left immediately. I honestly was going to do it anyway, but no on else would do it with me, so I decided to stay for just afew minutes.

I was actually happy I stayed. I thought the museum would be a bunch of modern art paintings that looked like somebody finished in ten minutes, and that frankly, I could also do. I was surprised though to see so much eastern art. Although most of them focused on Buddhism the art is very similar to some of the statues in the hindu culture, probably because buddhism came from India. I have seen so many statues like those before, and it’s weird because I have never considered them art and didn’t realize that other people did. The hindu temple that I used to go to has many statues like that, and also my home, except they are less extravagent.  I was glad that I stayed, because I realized I would have missed out on a great experience.

When i first entered Baruch i had college all planned out that i will get and maintain 4.0. The only thing I had to worry about was not being sucked into any parties that will divert me from my objective.

I realize my expectations evaporated. My whole plan was reaching red alert that need to be dealt with. Classes were going real fast, teachers did not repeat themselves. It as if I was in the twilight zone or God was punishing me. I did not know what was going, i was getting C’s or D’s.  The thought of me not performing well allowed me to consider to drop out of college. But I realize I made a promise to a friend and I wanted to keep my promise.

What realize the transition from high school to college was a test created by the institution to test Freshmens of their will to overcome challenges. What was my challenge was time management. I did not take the courses seriously, I did study often but as weeks go by I started making adjustment to improve myself. Everyday i see progress and I am happy of the man I becoming. College is making me aware of my surroundings and events. I realize high school their was a lot of help. College was the total opposite. It takes time to adjust.

Next semester is to apply everything I learn this semester to better improve myself.

The Rubin Museum of Art was an amazing experience. I feel like going again.

What I liked about the museum was the little Tibet room of worship. I realize the Tibetans have an amazing life. Critics will rebuke my statement with statements that Tibet is an occupied third world country that is suffering. But their life is so stress free especially in the mountains. The only thing they do is pray and meditate that relaxes the body. Now we experience that in America but their is so many distractions; work, school, relationship and economy. If I lived in the mountains with the Tibetans monks, I do not have to worry about work, school, relationship or the economy. My mind will be free and clear of any thoughts. The only thing that my mind will be processing is spiritual progression. Also, the Tibetans have amazing health that can no ethnic group can compare with.

If i graduate from Baruch early I will go visit Tibet for two months.

The career workshop was insightful. Their was information I already knew. I was really focused on the resume section. I applied to many retail jobs with my old resume from high school and I was getting a lot of rejections. So the speaker said that Star center look over resumes. I rushed the next day with my failed resume to improve it that it can go against other applicants. It was very helpful. I thought I knew it all, minutes into the session I was far from perfect. Their were so many errors it felt like an English teacher was grading it.

After reviewing my resume I felt relieved the mark-up of my errors were finished. What I learned is i do not know it all and the real world have so much to show me.

As I reflect back onto my semester, I can say that I’m proud of my improvements.  My experience has changed me for the better.

Initially, I felt I was prepared for college. But after a few exams, I realized that I was wrong. Since then, I have put a lot of effort into improving my grades and bettering myself academically. As the semester went on, I kept studying and working harder. Shortly after, I picked up my grade considerably. As the semester progressed, I learned to manage my time efficiently and work at a faster pace. I’ve become much more independent, diligent, and determined.

Looking back at my struggles this semester, I would change my strategy. I would study the lessons ahead of time and arrive to class fully prepared to discuss the material covered in that lesson. I’ve learned that being prepared is essential for success. Overall my first semester at Baruch College was life changing.

You  know your semester is starting to come to a close when you have to start registering for classes for the next semester. Boy, what a semester it had turned out to be though!

Who says you need a Learning Community to enjoy Baruch? Our KM3B group did a excellent job of out of school bonding. We all kept in contact with each other via text, aim, Facebook, email and many other ways. We went on many trips to museums and haunted houses together. Also most importantly we ate together. Eating was something that seemed to bring us all together because we all got hungry or needed coffee at about the same times.

Freshman Seminar was just the icing on the oh-so-delicious cupcake I would call this first semester. This class allowed us to come together and talk about the classes that we shared and what was bothering us about them. When it came time to study we pushed each other to work hard and get good grades.

I really enjoyed this experience and would do it again if ever given the opportunity.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being able to go to the Rubin Museum of Art over on West 17th Street, along with some of my favorite Baruchers. Together we roamed the streets of Manhattan as we walked over to the museum from Baruch. Once we got there we were instantly surprised by the sheer beauty of the museum. The museum was obviously very well kept and modern.

As we made our way through all the exhibits and through the floors, I began to notice a recurring theme of Asian Art. There were many intricate pieces of art that caught my attention. At one in particular I stopped with a few friends and we had a discussion about what the piece of art really meant. In the end we were able to agree that the piece of the art represented the triumph of evil over good. When we left the museum we realized that we had learned a lot of things about Asian Culture and art that we didn’t know going in.

All in all I would say that it was a good trip and I would enjoy going to another museum with the same group of people. I thank Baruch for allowing us to go to this museum for free and for encouraging us to explore it.

I cannot believe how quickly my first semester at Baruch College went by. It seems like yesterday was when I first step foot into the college wondering who I would meet, how my classes would be, and where my classes were. We’re at the final stretch of the first semester now. Finals are coming.

My first semester was definitely interesting. My first exams were terrible. I thought I would do much better. I realized that I was still suck in “senioritis” mode throughout the beginning of the semester. These terrible grades caused me to snap out of my “senioritis” mode. I am a freshman in college and I need to get back to work. And I did. No longer am I procrastinating or disregarding tests. I feel that I can do much better on my exams and school work.

This first semester definitely made me more responsible and mature.

Although Eastern art may be my least favorite style of art, the Rubin Museum is an excellent museum which showed spectacular artworks from Eastern cultures. I made the trip to the museum along with a few classmates and I must say, we did have a good time. Not only did we enjoy the artwork, we all had a chance to bond and share our ideas.

I truly admire art. I came from an art school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, and I’ve made numerous trips to the Met. I know I was a music major there, but many of my friends were art majors and we all went to art museums together.

I definitely had a good time at the Rubin Museum of Art and I am glad we had the opportunity to visist this museum.