Monthly Archives: September 2010

Who do i think i am? My name is Tiffany Chui and I’m 18. Lately I feel like just another face in the crowd, so as of right now, I’m not sure who I am or who I’m supposed to be.
My top three concerns is not getting the reading done on time (which i’ve been horrible at), juggling two jobs with my school work, and exams. I work 6 days a week and usually I get home at 7ish, so I have to start homework right away or I stay up till it’s done. That’s what i hope to do, but lately, I’vebeen so tired after work that i just doze off or occupy myself with stupid things till dinner time and after dinner time i HAVE to start homework. I want to quit one of my jobs, but I guess I’ll endure it for a semester and quit next semester. Even though we haven’t had an exam yet, I’m scared to take one because I haven’t been catching up on the readings! I’m going to start reading everything over tonight, so  i dont cram everything in the weekend before.
baruch is a lot like tech, I see a lot of techies in baruch and the amtosphere is very similiar. At the beginning of Tech, no one knew each other and it was basically like now; everyone was in clusters and then we got to meet each other and branch out. All i did in high school was hang out and not care about school work, but I feel like I need to be more work oriented because i can’t pass courses by just showing up. And I feel a lot more mature in college than in high shcool.
I’m hoping my first year could change me because I’ve been feeling a little insecure since I entered baruch, I just feel like there’s no one I can count on because all my close friends went to other colleges, but I’m starting to adjust now so hopefully baruch will bring about even greater changes in me!

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Extra-ordinary :)

Hmm, where to begin? Well, my official name is Dahye Ku (with no Diana in the middle). I chose the name Diana because I thought the title Princess would follow, but it never really worked out that way. Disappointing, right? Well, I’ve learned that a name cannot define anyone. Regardless of any name or nickname, I am extraordinary…me.
I came to America at age one, but I still find great pride and identity in my Korean background. I love to eat kim-chi (don’t ask, it’s too hard to explain) and I speak Korean fluently.
My family may be small in number, but my mom and my sister play a big role in my life. We support one another no matter what and we love each other unconditionally. When my mom was off to many hours of work and my sister was off to college at UVA, I gained a lot of responsibility and independence. So despite the fact that I am the baby in the family, I do my best to ease their struggles.
My birthday is on November 9th. With such a late birthday I am not only the baby in my family, but also the baby in my group of friends. Nevertheless, I have proven myself to be very mature. Over the years, I’ve realized that age is not a big factor in life, it is the way in which one upholds and presents them self that truly matters,
I plan to be a CPA in the near future. I know you’re going to say it’s a boring job, but I’m determined and ambitious so I know I will succeed. With this growing sense of determination, I think my time at Baruch will change me for the better. Now that I’m in college, it motivates me to constantly look towards my career and my future so that I can do my best. With this motivation, I know that if I believe in myself I can do wonders.
As for my 3 concerns: (1) I am worried that my habit of procrastinating will never go away. The workload is getting heavier, but I am still unable to snap into reality and get my assignments done AHEAD of time. (2) I’m afraid work will take up too much time. Right now, it is easy to mange work and school, but I wonder how I will be able to balance work and school once mid-terms and finals come around. (3) Currently, I am always on time to class and I’ve been persistent with my school work, but I worry that I may become lazy especially because I’ve seen it happen before.
I think the biggest difference between Baruch College & Cardozo High is the commute. Driving to Cardozo took 5 minutes, whereas the train and bus to Baruch takes about 1 hour and a half. Nevertheless, I love my time on the subway~

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Ugh…..

Hey hey. I’m Nicole Liotto, most of my friends and my family call me Nikki. It’s kind of weird to hear people call me Nicole, but oh well. I am 17 years old….I have a late birthday, a really late birthday, christmas eve! a week before the end of the year :/ I live in Manhattan and have lived here all my life. What can I say? I’m a city girl. I love it here, although in a way I am starting to get annoyed with it. Too many people are moving in, they dont belong! I use to be really shy, but I noticed that as I am getting older, it has gone away more and more. I am currently dorming at the dorms on the les…yes i know, why would I dorm if I live in the city? HEY, let me experience the dorm life with out actually going away to college, thanks very much! I love love love music. I use to play the guitar but that was a long time ago and now I can’t play for my life. I love trance music. I dont really hear a lot of people who like it but when I find someone, I love it. If you don’t like it, then fine with me, go listen to what you like to listen to.

My top three concerns about my freshman year at Baruch are:
1. Mid-terms and Finals. I never, ever had a midterm or final. I would have regualr tests in school. One after almost every chapter/topic I learned. I feel like I won’t be able to take in everything and remember for the test…this goes for every subject (except math. i love doing math and i did exactly what we are doing in calc now last year, so its good).
2.Participation. I hardly participate in class. All my life in school, all my teachers would say that I never participate and that I should. Well, sometimes I just don’t have anything to say, or someone has said what I was already thinking…or sometimes I’m just not paying attention!
3.Feeling like I actually want to be here. At times I feel like I should have chose a different school. My friends and family ask me how school has been so far and my answer to them is, “its okay, nothing special”. I want to feel like it’s something special and fun. My concern is, will I be happy here? and will there be something that will make me feel like Baruch is the right place for me.

So far I don’t think that there will be anything to differentiate my college and high school experience. I went to h.s in the city and I have lived in the city all my life, which means so far nothing feels different to me at all. I went to Simon Baruch Middle School which is in the neighborhood of Baruch College so I know the neighborhood in a way. Nothing feels different so far, not even the dorming since I live a 10minute walk away from my apartment (again, I know I’m crazy but let me experience the dorm life!)

My first year at Baruch may change me in many ways and it may not. It may take me a little longer than my first year, because in my first year I probably wont even know what I want to do. At first I wanted to be a math teacher all my life, then it went to business for some reason, but now i am interested in dermatology ( I know, I’m crazy) but I hate science! I hope my first year will help me know what I really want and what will be the best thing for me.

🙂

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Im so tired.

How can I start this blog? let me first tell you a little about myself before we get into the whole topic of Baruch. My name is Guy, make all the jokes you want I heard it all (lol). I was born and raised in Israel until I was 8 years old. I moved to the United States, and spent the rest of my life living in Brooklyn. Although there’s a lot of crazy people, I wouldnt want to grow up anywhere else. Let me get back to myself.. I’m a very social, and friendly kid with a lot of respect. I’m calm and laid back, and I love making new friends. Even in the short time I spent in Baruch I already feel comfortable stepping into school each morning seeing the familiar faces in my classes. I have an obsession with cars. Most people tell me that I stress too much but I just try to be prepared for every situation. Even though I’m still young, I’m always working and trying to somehow support myself and be independent. I love having fun and going out, I’m not the type of kid to stay home all day. I’m very materialistic, but I still appreciate everything. I have big dreams as most do and I hope one day I can get everything done. I love females. My family is number one no matter what, I love them to death. Im so tired.

Entering Baruch, and having to think about a whole new life experience in college, like most students, I had, and still have many concerns. Homework is my real ultimate concern. I hate spending so much time out of my day to read. During my high school years, school looked like a joke. Little by little I’m starting to realize that if I really want to succeed I will have to stay focused throughout every semester. The professors were also a concern I had before entering the school, but after a month, I can say that I am very happy with the choice of professors I got. Most of them are easy going, young, not too boring, and understanding. My last real concern are the finals =\. All of my friends who are already attending college told me how serious finals are and how much time studying has to be done, I’m not sure if I’m mentally prepared for all of that but we’ll see.

The main thing that will make my Baruch College experience different from my high school experience is New York City, along with the freedom. The outside life of high school for me was very boring, very different from the life in the city. Every morning I wake up seeing all the people walking around to their jobs, or schools, or G_d knows what, and it makes me feel good. I hate being in dead areas with no people, especially early in the morning when I am half asleep. The freedom in the classes are also amazing. Being able to just walk out of class to go to the bathroom or even get some food is something I am not used to.

I hope my first year at college will mature me, and educate me more about the real world, and how to deal with new things. As I am getting older I will have to start taking care of things by myself, which is something I am not good at, considering I am a very lazy person. I hope I will meet new friends, and gain some great new experiences in life that I can look back too.

Anyways the word count reached 600 already, I guess its time to go.

30c98823-bbm mE!

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Cool Story Bro

Uhhhhhhhhhhh, where should i begin. Kenny Mendoza that is my name, I’m eighteen, and a Mexican American. Who do I think I am? Tough question in a world where everyone is unique, but am I you decide. The youngest of a brother and a sister I always got everything I wanted. Pokemon Cards, N64, Gameboys you name it I had it(not really but you get the point.) Queens has treated me well as my entire life has spent on this borough. Jackson Heights is where I grew up, and at 10 i moved to Elmhurst which is where I’m situated at now. Summers were spent at Mexico with an endless amount of family(both my parents had 10 brothers and sisters, 10+10=20, so thats 20 aunts and uncles each one having at least 4 children WOAH!) From that enormous amount of cousins 4 were chosen to be my compadres. Although the shortest in height from the 6, including my brother, I am the webmaster to our clan. Sports, video games, and of course learning are only some of the many things that I’m interested in.

Top 3 Concerns:

Excelling: Parents give off an unavoidable pressure when it comes to academics. Not only is this a concern at Baruch but in life, no one in life wants to be a failure even though I don’t think there are any. Scoring that A+ is mostly appreciated as all the studying pays off.

Time is Money: Managing time is another top concern as many of us find leaving those History readings for the last minute a drag. Procrastination shouldn’t be a problem of mine but it is. These first few weeks should teach me to read and do homework ahead of time.

Commute: As long as I can remember my dad always dropped me off to school. NYC transit isn’t the highlight to anyones day but it beats  driving all the way to the city. Crowded trains and costly fares is what makes a train ride a pain, as a way to counter this I’ve started to read on the train making the time go by quicker , or so I think.

Studying, studying and more studying is what will make my Baruch experience different than High School. High School, well at least mine(Francis Lewis), required little to no studying at all. Many students got by, just through going to class and pretending to pay attention. Baruch and college life is entire different. Professors expect the class to have certain assignments read and the material given is advanced. Despite this my Baruch experience won’t be as bad if I decide to join a club. My first year at Baruch will change me in the way that I think. Certain skills are going to have to be needed and sometime in the future I will acquire them. Hopefully Baruch influences me in a positive way as I am still undecided on what I want to major in. A years full of classes should pull me towards one direction.

Deuces.

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meow.

My name is maggie. yes i like cats. but i always wanted one like garfield but i dont think they exist )=. hmm who do i think i am? I think im a very complicated and slow person. everyone else sees me as chill or laid back. Maybe its the fact im kinda of conservative but yet open at the same time. If it was a really personal question, i guess i wouldn’t be shady about it unless its that personal. i like to think of myself as complicated because no one can really figure out what i like or just figure me out generally. i guess that makes a little complicated? I see myself as kinda slow because it takes me quite a while to get some things. thats why i try to be book and street smart. 🙂

my first concern and major concern is english class. I literally dont know anything in there and i barely never do the reading. i believe not a lot of people knows whats going on in that class either so i dont know maybe its time i start listening )=
my second concern is getting to school on time. i am one of the few people thats always late. but damn i have two take like 3 trains so its not my fault )=
my last concern is prolly my lc17 buddies. i dont know all of them exactly but i like being in a class with them. i dont know if ill get used to it next semester )= since we’ll all have different schedules. ill miss them tho.

Well whats different in baruch and back at my hs, (midwood) is that the people here arent fake. haha. no really, i guess its college im actually taking things more seriously this time cause it is COLLEGE. its not like the playing aorund in high school. honestly i had senioritis since i have sophmore year and i just never really tried. i didnt really go to school and didnt really listen or do my hw. yea it was pretty bad. but im focusing in school now and found out school is pretty easy only if you try. im not even always late anymore! but i like college a lot better than hs. theres more people too.

its gonna make me into a better person, telling me procrastination is not the way to go and educating me with things i never knew. its gonna also help me socialize more but i try not to because if i have a friend in that class i WILL talk to them and fool around but maybe not since this is college.

hehe bye!

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lychees!

I’m really not a big fan of lychees, but I thought it was cool that its first syllable is the pronunciation (li-chee) of my last name. Besides, the last name ‘Li’ is way too common.

First off, I am not a morning person. And what am I doing? Taking morning classes. It doesn’t make sense, I know. I’ve been surviving on caffeine since junior high school. I have a tendency to stay up late, even when I’m not doing anything productive at all. It doesn’t seem to click in me to climb in bed until I’ve realized how much time I’ve wasted. On average weekdays, I get to bed around 3AM, and survive on only 2-3 hours of sleep. It’s been this way since… forever. I’m actually not sure how I’ve managed and how I’m still functioning.

I guess I can say that I’m pretty much nocturnal. I wouldn’t say I’m proud of it, but it has definitely shaped who I am. I love New York City mainly for one reason: it never sleeps! There’s always something to do, no matter what time it is, or how dark it is outside. Day or night, the city still shines. I guess that’s the main reason I decided to stay in the city for college. I really can’t imagine myself in the middle of nowhere, next to cows and trees.

I also love photography and graphic design. I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go. Most of my pictures are either of friends or food, but I also explore photographing a little bit of everything. I think I have over 20,000 photos on my computer! I love pictures because of all the memories they bring back. Pictures are also widely used in the media, for almost anything you can think of. Media today has such a huge influence on our everyday lives, and I aspire to make my mark through my photography and designs.

What’s amazing is how pictures capture the beauty of our world that we often miss due to the busy nature of our lives.

So back to being here at Baruch…
One thing I’m most concerned with is getting to class on time. As most of you might have already noticed, I tend to walk in late a lot (and always with a coffee). I hate it the most when I could’ve been on time, and then the train makes me late. Another thing I dislike is all the readings we have for class, especially for history and politics. Frankly, I don’t see the significance of learning about the past when it has already happened. The biggest difference for me between high school and college is being handed more work and more freedom. Now I really have to start sharpening my time management skills.

I’m really not sure how college will change me yet, but whatever the change, it’ll be for the better!

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John Yuksekol

I can’t stress enough how important it is to establish an identity.  It makes you unique, different from everyone that surrounds you.  It is essential one builds on their identity over time.  I will begin with all the information about my identity I can reveal to you at this time.

My name is John Yuksekol.  I was born and raised in Brooklyn by my Turkish father and Austrian mother, so as you can see i’m quite diverse.  I am eighteen years old and I find myself to be very sociable and generous.  I eat, sleep, and breathe baseball.  I was a spoiled child in my high school.  Since I was the varsity baseball captain for two years, I have had everything handed to me on a silver platter in high school.  I should not be stereotyped for a typical jock who underachieves academically (Although it may seem like it, I am not trying to come off as arrogant and egotistical).  I maintained a 96 transcript average throughout my 4 years in high school.  I am constantly working out at the gym.  The gym is where all my stress from my baseball team, my family, and my school is released.

My first concern is coming to Baruch unaccompanied by any of my friends.  Entering Baruch for the first time, I did not know anybody who attended this college.  At my high school, which was very overcrowded, I knew about 75% of the school’s population.  It was very hard at first walking around the school and recognizing no one that I was familiar with.  The learning communities have helped me meet new people and make me more comfortable in college.  My second concern are the professors.  In high school, all my teachers told me terrible things about the professors.  My teachers said that the professors just lecture fast and do not stop for you at all and they are hardly willing to help you if you fall behind.  This made me extremely nervous about how I would be able to adapt to the work environment.  So far, I have not experienced anything my teachers have warned me about and that has been a relief.  My third concern is the tests.  In high school, all the test were simple, common sense examinations.  I do not know what to expect from these college exams and that frightens me a bit.

One essential thing that I believe will be different from my high school experience besides what I stated in the second paragraph is that I am going to have to be more independent now.  In high school, I had all my friends and we would all work together in order to excel.  The main purpose of college is to help me pursue a career of my choice and in the end, it is going to benefit me more than anyone else.

I believe my first year at college will help me improve my communicational skills and it will open me up to different fields of studies that I can begin to inquire about to see if any of these studies will be the right career choice for me.  Finally, Baruch College will open me up to new views of the business world in which I have yet to inquire about.

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Is anyone else excited for fall?

I’m just so tired of summer! I can’t wait for the weather to cool down and stay down! I love the fall season. Fall brings vibrant colors and a different kind of beauty into the world that has to do with death. Don’t you just love the brown and the yellow of the above shot? When I saw this tree, I was mesmerized and thought it was so beautiful that I had to capture it.

Who do I think I am: I don’t usually ponder on heavy topics such as this.
I’m a girl who wants to find the right location to spend my life in. I don’t intend to continue living in New York or even in the US after I graduate. New York is a great place to live if you consider the vast diversity we’re surrounded by which dramatically enhances our cultural knowledge. Aside from that, I don’t feel entirely comfortable in this city. I feel as if there is another place that will be better suited for me, a place that will make me happy – aren’t we all chasing after happiness?
Canadians are known for their hospitality. I think it would be wonderful to live amongst nice people who go out of their way to help their neighbors. Also, New Zealand is one of the best countries to live in – according to an article I read a while ago. English is the main language in both of these countries, so, they’re on top of my list.

My top three concerns: We haven’t had any tests so far. I’m a little bit anxious about the tests we will get in a few weeks. I’m also worried about passing Calculus. I think if I get past my fear (yes, I’m afraid of Math), I’ll be able to do better. It’s ironic how I received a medal in Fifth grade for doing outstanding work in Math and now I’ve been struggling with Math for the last four years.
I can’t think of a third concern right now?

My experience at Baruch as compared to my experience in high school: I caught a cold this Monday. I had a pretty horrible day on Monday from going to the doctor’s office to get my immunization form signed, going to class, and then going to work while being sick. If I was still in high school, I’d take a day off on Tuesday. I can’t recall the last time I went to school when I was sick. As a matter of fact, I can’t recall the last time I went to school for four weeks straight without missing any classes. The fact that I’ve been able to get up every morning and go to all of my classes is an accomplishment. This is a huge difference between college and high school: because I pay for my education now, I have to be in every class.
I feel like people in college are more open-minded than they were prior to college. It’s great to see people being more tolerant, opinionated, and mature.

How do I think my first year at college will change me: I’m not expecting any changes. It’d be totally awesome if I could stop procrastinating and started doing all my work on time. However, to be honest, I don’t see that happening in the near future.

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The “dark” korean boy: Captain to Freshman

Hello, my name is Matthew Hyung Ki Kim but better known as Matt Kim. I was born and raised in Queens, New York where I lived my entire life. I am an American-Korean who grew up hearing that I am too dark for my race; probably because I spent a few summers in Hawaii and never came back the same color. My hobbies are “rolling” with people (a term used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), playing the ukulele, swimming and biking. When it comes to what gets me out of bed and keeps me going, it would be my family. They are the reason I am who I am and drives me to succeed. They have always been there for me and I love them dearly. However, from all of the members of my family, my brother would be my biggest inspiration. Wanting to be the best older brother figure for him, I set my self to live by good morals and be that guy he can look up to. From what people can probably see from my reactions to things, I am a fairly jocular person who just likes to live life laughing.

As of right now, my top concern would be my transition into the college lifestyle. Spending many hours reading, writing and reading (again) makes the newly discovered freedom of having fewer classes not that liberating. More or less being a luxury to be free to roam around while the idea of doing homework is lingering in the back of my mind. Another concern is trying to juggle around work, school and other activities (for example, Jiu Jitsu, church service, babysitting, and hanging with friends). The life that used to be my childhood is no longer existent because of all the new responsibilities towards future success. In addition, because of the many activities everyday, finding the time to get a goodnight sleep is becoming a big problem. Not getting enough sleep makes it difficult to stay awake in class making it another one of my concerns as a freshman trying to pass my classes in college.

Compared to my years attending Francis Lewis High School, it is a lot better here in Baruch in terms of the atmosphere and environment. It is less crowded than my high school which was populated with over five thousand students in a building made for four thousand. Also, having smaller class sizes makes the Baruch life much better than forty in a room learning from one teacher. But aside from the crowded school, I can’t help but miss the idea of having six hundred cadets in the JROTC program calling me “sir” every Wednesday when we wore uniform. From being one of the elites in high school to a freshman in college, the only place to go now is up.

This first year in college is going to help me shape my future. Finally discovering somewhat of a solid foundation for what my major is going to be, I am just waiting on getting through the year of core classes. Unlike the old Matt Kim, finding shortcuts to work is not going to be an option and this year is going to corroborate my efforts at becoming successful; leading me to pursue my passion in …

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