I am the son of a cancer surivor. My mother was diagnosed with luekemia when i was in fifth grade. Finding out my mom had luekemia completely changed my life especially since i was so young when i discovered it. My mom had not been feeling well for a couple of weeks and decided to go to the doctor she did not come home that day. Next day when i went to visit her the broke the news to me. That was on of the most painful things to hear. Recently we had found that our cousin had died from that disease and me not knowing much on it expected the same to happen to my mother. It took a while for them to calm down to explain to me and my sister what was going on. When we finally relaxed the told us my mom level of the disease was cureable she woudl jus need to remian in the hospital for a while until it was safe for her to go home. Discovering this required me and my sister to group faster and mature faster than most kids would. My dad worked most of the time. So it was mainly my sister and I at home. My sister had to make sure i made it to school and to little league. People would visit our house to make sure my sister and i were ok but they couldnt stay their all the time. We would try to visit my mom as muc h as possibe. This required me to grow up faster than most people. Eventually my mom got cured its been many years since she was diagnosed with this but this event still lives on with me it is part of who i am.

My first concern at Baruch is failing my classes and dissapointing my parents. last thing i ever want to do is dissapoint my family, their are very important to me. My second concern is getting lazy and procrasting. I suffered from being lazy a lot in highschool. Every parent teacher confrence i would hear the same thing that i could have a 99 instead of a 90 if i did homework and tried a little more. My final concern is not living up to my potential. I know that i can achieve great things if i try. But as i said before laziness tend s to get the better of me it holds me back from achieving that that seems so attainable to me.

I think my first year of  college will help me make the change from a highschooler to an adult. Realizing that proferssors are like employers they dont really care about your story as long as you do the work. Seeing that i dont always have my parents in the real world that some things i must do on my own. Still these changes i believe will make me an overall better person in the future and prepare me for the business world and more.

well Hello everyone!!! My name is Deena Hematian i am from Great Neck, NY born and raised. i have a family of 6. its me and my parents, and then two sisters and my older bro. my friends all think hes cute lol but me and him dont really get along. my older sis is getting married soon. ugh i love her husband hes such a sweetheart, i have never been so happy for her!

ok so enough about my family, lets discuss me 😉 if i were to sum myself up in one word i think it would be FIERCE. i am a fun loving gal and i love to just hang out. shopping is my number one. i definitely want to go into business soon, probably open up my own store. that would be awesome. lol obvs thats why im here, to learn about business.

i have a couple of concerns for my freshman year at Baruch i thought i would share it with you all

1. i am afraid of commitment. lol, i know what youre thinking shes not in like a relationship with someone! but thats not what i mean. i just always need to be keeping busy and doing different things, i dont want to slack off and fall behind. i hope that i can stick with all my classes, because so far i am really enjoying all of them. they are great and i love them. especially froyo! so much fun to be with you guys 😉

2. i am concerned about my well being at baruch. i really enjoy being in the city, but sometimes i do not know my way around. its just so big i get lost at times, but i am getting the hang of it slowly but surely. if anyone would like to show me around that would be great! lol.

3. last but not least, i am concerned for my school work. it is very hard for me to listen and take notes in classes. the curriculum is very different from that of high school. i would usually make little study groups in the library with some people from my classes and we would go over the material together. i hope to do that here as well. anyone interested? lol

so far, i really like it here at Baruch. ofcourse i have my days where i would just like to go home and lammm but im really getting used to the atmosphere here. everyone is very friendly and i am finding it very comforting here. this is very different from high school though. like in high school i was head of peer drug educator, but i feel intimidated to do that here, you know? like who is gonna listen to a freshman! lol. i really miss high school, im sure most of us do! SHOUT OUT TO MA GIRL SASHA DANCH LOVE YOU!!!

i hope i can change a lot in college. i actually am not a big fan of change. i hate it. but like you need change to grow as a person internally. i think i will become more open to new people and ideas. i hope that i will get comfortable ASAP so i can start my journey at the next four years here at Baruch. cant wait!! see you all tomorrow. l8er.

Hey everyone! My name is Michelle Bassaly and i grew up in Great Neck, in Long Island. i love being in the city every day. i used to come into the city all the time, but now that i have to be here for school, i kinda cant wait to get home. regardless, i still love it here day or night! i haven’t really decided how i feel about Baruch yet. i have my on and off days, like always. but today was a pretty good day 🙂

So, i dont really know if i can pinpoint exactly who i am. i mean, i don’t even think i really know the answer to that myself. i guess i could say i’m a dancer. i love to dance. back in high school i would take classes and i was in a couple shows. we would put on sickk performances for the school and people in the community. it was a lot of fun! i love music, too. actually, I’m updating my ipod right now! haha. i just like to dance and have fun. i am very outgoing and I’m always down for anything, try new things!

My main concerns about freshman year would probably be adjusting to the different environment, making new friends and falling behind. obviously this is nothing like high school (which i miss soooo much!), so its pretty tough adjusting to everything because its so new to me. at least were in the city so i’m kind of familiar with everything, but then again the work is very different. i feel like i might fall behind and i am so afraid of that happening 🙁 i cant stand some of the teachers cause i don’t understand what they’re even saying half of the time. but a few of my classes are really good. i love English and Communications, but then again i guess that’s just cause i love writing. oh if i didn’t mention that earlier, i love writing too. not as much as dancing, but its definitely up there! As i said earlier, i am also pretty worried about making new friends. i have a bunch who go here from back home, but its always nice to meet knew people different from what you’re used to!

Clearly college and high school don’t have too many similarities, but then again i think being at Baruch might just be as close as i could get. It’s not like there’s really a campus with frat parties and all that stuff going on, so it doesn’t really feel like the typical college i would imagine. in addition to that, a lot of people from back home come here, and i see them all the time. also, i go home every night so its not like i’m really leaving anything behind. it pretty much feels like my regular life last year except i’m in the city with a whole lot of people i’ve never seen before.

I think my first year at college will definitely change me. There is no one here to tell me what to do. no teachers, no parents, no consequences for any of my actions really. i mean, obviously i’m not gonna go crazy and do whatever i want just because i have the freedom to do so, but i think it will make me much more responsible. i have to look after myself and take care of things all on my own now. I’m sure it will be hard at first but i guess that’s all part of growing up!

Okay, thats all for tonight! Goonight 🙂

At the moment i am a college student attending City University of New York, Baruch College. But does that mean that that is  all i am? Other then a student the roles i play in life as a friend, as a son, as a brother, as a nephew, and as a cousin are all a part of what make me who i am today.

As a friend, loyal and true, i fend for my friends and help them when they are down. Not only do i support them when they need me, i push them in a better direction and hope they find their way out. Friendship is not only a one way street. When i am in need, my friends are there for me as well, without a doubt. This is why, as a person, i have such confidence and pride in friendship, whcih devlopes me into a better person.

As a son, i am obediant, when i choose to be. My family means more then anyother relationship. I have respect and revere my elders because they deserve it and also help create the person i am today. My mother, caring and protective, passed away when i was 11. She meant the world to me. Nurturing to the touch, she showed me how to be a person in society as a child and helped me through some rough patches when i ever got hurt, or in trouble. My father, the head of my family, silence is his method. Though we have a language barrier, we share a connection i value because i realize many other people many not have this relationship. Guiding me through my pre-teen and teenage life, my father has bben a role model to me, to become successfull and happy. Although he may not express himself well i know that somewhere in the bottom of his soul he cares for me more then i care ever realize. My sister, growing up with me throughout my life. My lifeline. She not always been there for me no matter the what i have been through and has been more then just a sister. Always coming through for me, she is the small rocks between rivers, helping me across. Without her, i do not know where i would be now. As a nephew, not as much as 8 aunts and uncles, i have more then seen my share of alternate endings. They provide me with more subjective guidence that furthers helps me through life. They strengthen me when my parents object to decisions i make, though i may be wrong, but they are there when i need more the just a friend. A cousin to over 15 other cousins, i see my future and my past. 15 different pathes taken, i can only choose one. They give me personal advise that no other person would. and for those cousins younger then i, i hope to be a role model to them. Family makes me the person i am today.

When i consider who i am, i don’t look within myself, i look at all those around me that have help me throughout my life to become who i am today. “I takes a village to raise a child”. Friends or family, i cherish all my relationship that will hopefully lead me in the right direction to being a better person in life.

My name is Nick DiChiara and I am a freshman currently enrolled at Baruch College. When One is asked who they think they are they can give many answers. I am an eighteen years old boy who can sometimes be a bit nervous when doing new things. I currently live on long Island with my parents and my older brother and I also have a dog. I think of my self as being a bit serious and also being a little bit shy. I enjoy playing video games and i enjoy art. I also like to think of myself as being a good student. As far as my appearance goes I’m average height and look like any ordinary college student but I’m someone who is happy with how I look and wouldn’t change a thing. A feel all these things help to accurately describe who I am.

I definitely have a few concerns about my freshman year at Baruch college. One of those concerns is struggling with my class work. I do not want to fall behind in my classes and possibly even failing. I suppose if this ever happens all have to ask for help and i will manage to pass but it still scares me. Another one of my concerns is not liking my professors. What I mean is I hope that I do not have any difficulty because of a professors teaching methods. I am also concerned that I might have trouble with math because that has always been the subject I was worst at and I don’t want to fail.

So far my experiences at Baruch college have definitely different from what I was used to in high school. Back in high school I’d drive to school and be there in five minutes. But now I have to take a train to Penn station and walk to school which takes about an hour and a half. That is definitely something that will take some time to get used to. Its also a new experience to have a much different schedule every other day. One day I have two classes and get out by 12 and on another day I have three classes and get to leave at two. In high school I’d have the same classes everyday at the same time. College also requires more effort for me than high school.

I am sure that my first year at Baruch college will end up changing me. At the end of the year I’ll probably be a bit less of a procrastinator after I get used to handing in work by a certain date. I also think that I will become a bit more aware of those deadlines and check to see what work i may have due every single day. I beleve that this first year will change me by giving me some idea as to what type of major i may want to pursue later in college. I’m sure that there are many other ways that college will change me but i can’t predict them.

Bonjour mes amis! My name is Maggie He and I am afraid of change. I lack confidence, which causes me to become embarrassed extremely easily. I am hypocritical, and a very bad liar. I laugh too much and am oh-so ashamed of my smile! I love shopping & s h o e s. I strive to be a devoted Christian, but materialism always gets in the way. I am the eldest child in my family, but the one with the smallest bed! My sixteen year old sister has had two growth spurts and I have had none; she’s practically 5’8’’! My eight year old brother is ALMOST as tall as me too! I am clearly not the leader of the two but the one with the most responsibilities. As unfortunate as I am , I absolutely love love love them with all my heart. Growing up in Brooklyn for ten years and being taken away from the big family I was so used to seeing everyday and night was definitely a huge contrast to the life I have now. Moving to Staten Island has stripped me of my piano, dancing, and swimming lessons. I have never been able to fully accomplish any of those abilities. I guess that’s why I’m afraid of change? Because changing has impacted my life in so many ways.

My low self esteem has led me to my top three concerns about college. “I’m not smart enough, I can’t do everything that needs to be done.”, “What if no one likes me? How can I differentiate between those who really like me and those who are just trying to be nice?”, “Will all of the hardships of college lead me away from my focus on God??” I know I just have to work harder, “High school is nothing compared to the real life, Maggie!”, so I have been told, “You have to grow up someday!”. Grow up? That’s another major change! ):

My Baruch experience is one hundred percent different from my high school experience. There is definitely more time between classes and everything is so independent, it’s scary! I can feel my mother’s pain while she fills up the car with gas after all those years of driving me to school when I pay for the express to get to Baruch. I need to pay hundreds of dollars for textbooks which compared to high school’s is nothing. Everything is different in my perspective.

The first year in college will change me completely. Being active in classes is a must. Time management is something that will be engraved in my mind for the rest of my life. I have to wake up on time. I have to catch the bus on time. I have to get to class on time. I believe if I try hard enough, I can do anything I set my mind to. Go me!

My name is Kathy Pan. I might sound conceited, but I feel like my name is unique! I love my last name ‘Pan,’ and people always say my full name rolls right of their tongues compared to just my first name. My last name definitely helped me develop a sense of humor. It’s such a fun last name; I can always change it into a word. For example: Pancakes, Pancreas, Panda, and Frying Pan. Need I say more? I’ve heard every joke about my last name considering I grew up in all white schools and most children had last names such as ‘Smith’ or ‘Charles.’ I have a great sense of humor and I love when people tell me jokes. I grew up to a noisy household. I have a large family and every second of my house is filled with noise from babies crying to my dog barking. Therefore, my family is extremely important and I put my family before myself.  I’m shortest person most people know; I’m only five feet tall! I haven’t grown an inch since freshman year of high school. It doesn’t faze me though; I’m not ashamed of my height.

I was born in Manhattan, raised in Brooklyn, and now I live in Staten Island. Your probably thinking, “Staten Island… Really? I didn’t even know it existed until ‘Jersey Shore.’” Well, it does exist and it’s a great place. The neighborhoods are peaceful and it definitely played a major part in my development as a strong young woman. I went to Susan E. Wagner High School and I’m proud to call it my second home. The school looks run down but it was extremely welcoming. Unfortunately, Baruch College doesn’t produce the same atmosphere that illuminated Wagner. College is much more independent compared to my family like high school. One of my main concerns is my ability to meet new people. I’m sure every student at Baruch have brilliant personalities; unfortunately, I only developed friendships with students within my freshman seminar.  I’m generally a social person, however, I don’t know where to start in the process of meeting new people. Another one of my concerns is whether or not I would be able to balance my job and school. I need my job in order to pay for transportation, books, and food; however, I found myself dozing off a few times. I’m working on the proper balance between the two! My biggest concern is definitely my ability to wake up everyday for school! I’m sure I’m not the only student with this concern. I’m glad I get out of class twice as early compared to most of my friends, but it’s so tragic that I have to wake up twice as early!

Hopefully, I will be able to develop better sleeping and studying habits! I am hoping my first year of college doesn’t impact my weight like most college students! Let’s hope for the best and thank goodness Baruch has a gym!

Hello! My name is Abraham Lin and yes I know if you add -coln at the end I become Abraham Lincoln. I grew up in Flushing, Queens with my parents and an older sister. We moved to Bayside when I was in Kindergarten and have been living here ever since. My parents are from China and came to America so we have a better environment to be raised up in. I started off my life pretty smart, but then got dumber and lazier as the years went by. In first grade, I was accepted into the “Magnet Program” which is a program for “gifted” students. I was in magnet until the 7th grade, when I got kicked out because my average was not high enough. For high school, I attended Stuyvesant High School. I regret my 4 years of high school because I did not really do much and just barely passed by. And here I am now. I’m a pretty fun guy to be around. I like to crack jokes and make fun of everything around me. I like to laugh.I don’t like frowns or any kind of negative emotion. I can be serious if the situation is serious though. I may seem weird at first, but after you get to know me, I can be a pretty fun guy to be around. I am also a very caring person. You can talk to me about anything; I don’t judge people.

My top three concerns. One of them is definitely managing my time. In high school, I did nothing. I go to school, hang out with friends, go to sleep, and repeat. In college, I’m on my own. I have to make my own time to study and relax. Another concern is my grades. My grades have not been the best since the second grade. N’s and U’s throughout elementary school. Only 6th grade was alright. Rest of my middle school and high school grades were not good. College is a fresh start, a clean slate. I wish to get good grades and then go somewhere in life with them. My last concern is focusing in class. In high school, I can barely sit through 41 minutes per period and now I have to sit through at least an hour in each class.

The freedom in college is definitely different than high school. In high school, I had to go to all my classes and there were A LOT of rules I had to follow. There are also nobody to walk down the hall to check my ID card to see if I was cutting or not. There is so much more freedom in college. I can go out and do whatever I feel like during my breaks. I am less restricted in Baruch College than I was in high school. I think my first year at college will make me more independent. I realize that I can no longer ask my mom for money and I have to go out and find my own job. If I get a job, I would then have to learn how to manage my time with a job and school work and friends and family.

Hello everyone! My name is Melissa Singh and as you all know I am currently a freshman at Baruch College. I live in Queens with my parents and one older sister, making me the youngest child. My family background is Guyanese however I was born in the United States. I attended Martin Van Buren High School where all four years was a fun experience that I will always cherish. My senior year was a lot of fun since I was executive advisor for the Scholar’s Institute, which is a program designed for students who has and maintains good grades as well as completing community service. As executive advisor, I along with the other board members worked as well as participated in various events such as International Festival, Junior Achievement in addition to other events. When I am not focusing on my academic career, I like to spend my spare time listening to music, taking walks and most importantly spending time with my family and friends. In the past, I have been told by many people that I have a “serious-looking” face which leads them to believe I am mean but they are quickly surprised to find out that I am shy, soft spoken and the complete opposite of what they thought. My choice was easy when deciding to come to Baruch College since I have an interest in pursuing a career in business and it is right in the center of the city. As I walk down the streets of Manhattan, it is wonderful to see the many different people, rushing yellow cabs and tall buildings every day.  I love that something is always happening and there is never a dull moment. It makes coming to school more exciting.

                After a few weeks of college, we can all tell that college is completely different from high school. Although college is a lot of work, Baruch has its upsides such as almost all of us get a day off to sleep in late or to catch up on work, we have breaks in between our classes, and we get to meet and interact with new people. Although these are some of the many upsides to college, the adjustment to college for our first semester will be a  challenge. My challenge is that I need to learn how to handle a more heavy work load as well as doing readings, completing assignments and studying in a more orderly fashion. My major issue would have to be organizing my time to do my work without feeling overwhelmed. If I can learn to do this I know that college will just be a new challenge that I am ready to face.

                After my first year of college, I know that it will help me grow as a person. I hope being on my own in the city will help me become more independent. While traveling and studying in Manhattan, I can predict that I will come across situations that I will have to face on my own. I expect myself to handle these situations and overcome them like a mature adult. This will only make me stronger and capable of handling difficult situations after I leave Baruch.

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