Tharmika Sinnathurai: My experience at Baruch did not live up to my expectations. I expected it to be a little easier than it really is and more socially fun and entertaining. However, Baruch turned out to give more work than I had expected it to and have less social events that interest me. My first semester of Baruch college was full of things to get used to. I was not used to taking long commutes in order to get to my school. Throughout my life, the school I attended was relatively close by and only needed at least one bus to get to. I was also used to driving to school in my junior and senior year of high school so now taking 45 mins to get to Baruch by taking a bus and two trains was rather difficult for me. The workload was a lot more than I would have gotten my senior year so I had to get used to that as well. Organizing my time and not procrastinating was skills I already had so the workload was not as difficult as it could have been. Waking up early for class and trying not to sleep in class were also things I had to get used to in my first semester at Baruch. I have also become more independent because in college the high school teachers and counselors tell you what exactly to do and not to do. However, in Baruch you have to figure these things by yourself for the most part. Also, in high school I would normally not do the readings that I was assigned because I would do well on the tests without doing so. In Baruch, I had to do the readings because I would have definitely failed all my tests if I didn’t. In my first semester I would definitely changed some of my study habits. I still have a problem to be distracted whenever I am studying. Listening to music or even going on facebook were some of the things I would be doing while I would be studying so it would take me a longer time to get through the material. I believe I changed in a small way after entering Baruch. I have become more independent and hard-working. I am surprised that I have found the time to attend college, still do my dancing, perform at events, work part-time and still do well in my classes. I also have met new friends that I know will be there to help and guide me throughout my four years at Baruch. All in all, my time at Baruch was rather average but still quite fun.