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.

My name is Tharmika Sinnathurai. I was born and raised in Flushing, Queens. I live with my cousin, my older brother who also attends Baruch College and my parents. I like to play tennis and basketball. My friends usually call me a tomboy because of how competitive I am at sports. I am also Hindu and I am a highly active volunteer at my local temple. I went to Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, Queens. High school was definitely the best four years of my life, especially senior year. Also, occasions such as Senior Prom and Graduation made senior year epic. I believe high school made my become more independent and broadened my learning capacities. I had so many memories from senior year because I spent hours every day hanging out with my best friends. I have also been dancing, mostly Bollywood style, ever since I was six years old. My parents introduced me to it and ever since it has been my favorite hobby to do. Since my best friends were also interested in dancing we started our own group. First, it started off as us dancing at birthday parties and family events, but then we started getting calls to perform at competitions and city-wide events. I also love spicy Sri Lankan or South Indian food. My dad owns a Sri-Lankan restaurant in Queens and it is like my home meals. I think of myself as an open-minded, caring, social and independent person.

My name is Tharmika Sinnathurai. I was born and raised in Flushing, Queens. I live with my cousin, my older brother who also attends Baruch College and my parents. My parents are from Sri Lanka and my native language is Tamil. It resembles South Indian culture and traditions. I am also Hindu and I am a highly active volunteer at my local temple. I went to Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, Queens. High school was definitely the best four years of my life, especially senior year. I had so many memories from senior year because I spent hours every day hanging out with my best friends. Also, occasions such as Senior Prom and Graduation made senior year epic. I am a volunteer at an organization called the Youth Group in my temple and I have coordinated several food drives, events and charity shows. Most of my best friends are also in the group as well. I have also been dancing, mostly Bollywood style, ever since I was six years old. My parents introduced me to it and ever since it has been my favorite hobby to do. I have danced at numerous dance competitions, weddings, receptions, parties, tournaments, charity events and much more. My other hobbies are playing tennis, basketball, running and hanging out with my best friends. I have known my best friends ever since I was a little kid. It consists of six girls and eight guys and we do almost everything together. They are also all dancers and we have been dancing together in all types of performances. I think of myself as a social, open-minded, caring, religious and determined person. I love having a diverse group of friends and just hanging out with them.

My top three concerns about freshman year at Baruch College is not procrastinating, making sure I get to school on time since the subways often get delayed, and getting my books on the day our teachers want us to have them by. I think my Baruch College experience is different from high school because I only have two or three classes a day which makes it easier from me to have time to do my readings and homework. Also, in college we get breaks so that I can finish some of the work I haven’t gotten to the night before. You are also much more independent in college whereas in high school the teachers and counselors tell you exactly what you need to do. I think the first year of my college will make me more of an independent and hard-working student. In high school, I would normally not do the readings I was assigned and still do well on tests. However, in college I have to do the readings so I have to spend more time in my day in during my homework for my classes. I also have to learn how to not procrastinate my work because I work part-time and I have dance practices on the weekends. Procrastinating will just damage my GPA in college so I have to learn how to start my work when the professor gives us the assignment and not do it all the night before it is due.