Overall, I’d say Baruch lived up to most of my expectations. I came in thinking college to be much more based on my adult decisions to actually do my work, and that’s what I got. Professors couldnt care more or less whether you do your homework, as they only need to mark whether you do it or not. As oppose to high school, some teachers might even go so far to call your parents. The workload receive was easily much more pressuring, but I managed it through with the help of new friends I made. What didnt meet my expectations was the social life. I knew before coming that this was a commute school, but I didnt think socializing here would be this bad. There is no decent lounge, for one, and instead they actually presented for us to pay them $30 to build a lounge which we will not get to experience until senior year. So anyways, everyday I go to Baruch, and in between class time all there is are either getting food outside, or sitting in the lobby. It would have been extremely boring had it not been friends I made here. I then hear experiences from my friends who do dorm, and I become envious. I not trying to pin this point down as being entirely bad, but it reminds me too much of high school. I wouldn’t say I’ve changed much through this past semester. Like I said, Baruch is very dependent on your own mature responsibility, and I’ve have that since senior of High School. In all I think I’m prepared and ready to move on to the next semester.

Well as a kid growing up I had no parent to direct me along the way. Everything was left for me to figure on my own. My mother passed away when i was seven, and my dad became too busy to take up both roles of the family. Furthermore, he hasn’t made it very far in education, working a blue collar job. Burdens increased, as I was responsible for my own well being, such as doing own laundry, getting own lunch etc. Just recently hearing my HS friends complained how they have to do their own laundry while dorming makes me realize how accentuated my burdens and maturity were.

It was my very duty, and obligation to my mother, to do well in school. I became very reclusive, having barely any friends in elementary school, all focused on school work. I did extremely well, too. When i reached Junior High, I started making friends, but with the wrong people. Maybe a part of it had to do with nobody knowing the status of my family. But anyways, this is a part of my life i’ve hated, where I did bad, illegal crap which I will regret forever. My gpa, without question, dropped fairly significantly. It’s a feeling of disgust, of how I can hardly face my mother’s gravestone without feeling that I did something sorry to her. This hit me pretty hard in late Junior High to early HS, a emo phase. Not that i dress all black, with long hair and cut myself.  But I was just really sad and gloomy. Soon enough I make my resolve, and in Senior year told myself to get my gpa up. I got roughly a 90 overall, but when average in the other 3 years, I was barely making an 80. I am now here in Baruch to pick up where I left off, but it holds it challenges as college is naturally a step up beyond everything else i experienced.

IDK how to post pics, so w/e.

It’s hard to say I know who I am and what I want to be. I came to Baruch thinking business would be right, but now not so much. In fact, I’ve already considered transferring. To what college and major? No idea. Even though I’m set on transferring, it doesn’t mean I wont do and give my best here at Baruch. I cant have myself moping depress for the whole year, end up with a horrible gpa where no colleges would accept me. Now set aside my “ambitions in life,” I was born in hong kong, and came to the US when I was only 2 years old. I lived and grew up in Brooklyn for the other 16 years of my life. I am reclusive, and the pressure of a new school fill with new people does not help very much.

My concerns here at baruch would have to be keeping up with the work, getting a healthy breakfast and maintaining my attention in class. On the first week or so of school, I couldn’t believe how fast paced things were. In English class, the teacher announced readings for an entire book and a chapter of another, all with the expectation of us finishing it in 1 and a half day. I’m a slow reader, and when giving a semi pop quiz two days later, I had nothing on my paper. I hope that wont hurt my grade too much. Eating a healthy breakfast and maintaining my attention comes hand in hand. Because of the extremely early schedule I have, it’s hard to have time for breakfast in the morning. I can usually make it 5 minutes earlier in to reach before class, but that’s not enough time for me to get something to eat. Now when I dont have food in my stomache, it growls like uncontrollably. It’s embarrassing and draws my attention away to thinking about food.

I come from Brooklyn Technical High School, and Baruch differs most importantly in the teaching pace. Maybe it’s because I slack way too much in high school and finally put my act together for college, but work never seemed as burdening as it is now. Aside from increase workload, other difference include the shorter schedule, longer classes, and longer breaks. Surprisingly, I’m not having any problems with the longer class times. I was always very impatient with the 45 minutes classes in high school. I think it may be because there’s so much more to learn now.

I think my first year at college will change me into a better student. As I said before, I was a slacker, and college is my resolve to getting things back on track. There’s no time for fun and games, especially with the fact that i dont even know what I want to be yet. I have alot to think about and the pressuring courses here will supposedly expand my thought process. College will also brought forth a main concern of maintaining my best to stay as close as to a 4.0 gpa, which unfornuately I alrdy missed. =T