Author: Zhen Huang

This past Friday (11/5), we had a representative from the academics department come in to talk regarding the registration process. Most of the freshmen I know will be registering for classes on the 23rd of November. Prior to the workshop, I had a brief idea on some of the classes that I plan to take next semester. In high school, my goal was to get all my required classes (art, music and Spanish) out of the way first. I assumed that I can apply a similar strategy in college. I was wrong! According to the academic adviser, our goal is to aim for the requirements that we need to fulfill in order to be considered for the different schools within Baruch. In other words, the “less important” classes such as science, music and history should not be my top priority. Although I am not used to this method, I believe that this is a reasonable and faster method that will lead me to my goal as an accountant.
There were a lot of information from this workshop.  For example, mistakes can easily be made in the registration process. Luckily, the academic adviser went over some common mistakes and how to correct them. Hopefully, I can avoid these mistakes during my registration. After the workshop, I feel that I have a better understanding of what is expected of me as a Baruch student. Being a student who is unclear about what is required makes me feel like a lost tourist without a map or any sense of direction. Luckily, after this workshop, I feel that someone had just handed me a map and directions. Now I know exactly where I need to go and how I can get there in a timely fashion.

Today, we had May, from the STARR Career Development Center, come in and talk to us about the basics in resume writing and interviews. I am very happy that I was able to be a part of this workshop. Out of all the workshops that I have attended, I must say this is the one that I can relate to and use the most. Resume writing and interviewing skills are essential for a job placement. You might have the GPA or even a ton of extracurricular activities, but if you don’t know how to present yourself, then you may not get the job you are looking for. Before this workshop, I thought this would be a repeat on what I had learned about resuming writing in high school. After this workshop, I realized that what I knew was just the mere basics. There are so many things that I am lacking in my resume. In fact, I will have to update my resume although I may not be using it soon. May briefly went over the basics of interviewing. Due to the lack of time, she was unable to go more in depth about it. Although she was not able to get through everything, she did leave us with contact information and their office location in which I may go to for more assistance. Overall, I really enjoyed this informational workshop. I look forward to meeting May and the rest of the STARR Career Development team for their expect assistance.

Thursday! This means that there will be in the high traffic club hours. Instead of roaming around and blending into the crowd, we (LC 20) decided to go to the Sidney Mishkin Gallery. The gallery mimicked the museum experience. We had a little tour from Dr. Sandra Kraskin. She was extremely helpful. To be honest, if I had walked into this gallery by myself, I would have been uninterested in the pictures. Most of the photographs in this gallery are everyday photographs that we see in the news and news articles. Dr. Kraskin brought up the common theme of social groups among these pictures. Growing up and being exposed to technology and the internet, our first thought of social groups was Facebook.

This gallery taught me to look and think outside of the box. Social groups are found all around the world in every ethnicity and every culture. Some are proud groups such as a group of fans rooting for the same soccer team. At the same time, there are groups that people are forced and threatened to be a part of; for example, a band African guerilla soldiers filled with little kids whom are no older than ten years of age. This gallery made me realized how important social groups are and how fortune we are in the United States. The basic rights and freedom that we take advantage of (and sometime abused) are the very same rights that other nations are dying to obtain. Although this gallery was short and simple, the message behind it was definitely an eye opener.

My thoughts started on rainy Sunday afternoon. We headed to Costco just for fun with a couple of my friends. There were no parking spots left. I got lost into my thoughts as I was waiting impatiently for a parking spot.
Whose idea was it to come to Costco on a Sunday afternoon? Out of all days, why Sunday, the family day for all?  This is a complete waste of my Sunday! I have school and work tomorrow. I could be using this time to catch up on some sleep. School… School is actually fun. Besides all the morality and rationality that I am trying to understand in philosophy, I enjoy it. The time is so flexible, I can even go to the gym for a quick workout, but at times, I have so much time on my hands… too much time. I really need to join something here at Baruch. How about a fraternity? The hoodies looks nice. But… it is so time consuming. I am afraid that I won’t be able to manage everything. Afraid… what am I afraid of?
I am definitely afraid of people with road rage. The way people abuse the horn or speeding pass everyone else is such a stupid thing to do. What else am I afraid of? Oh yeah, I’m afraid when my grandma calls. See, the thing with my grandma is that she just got her first cell phone this year. Yes, welcome to the 21^st century! At this moment, she is probably still trying to figure out all the functions of the cell phone. Although she doesn’t know all the function, she does have me on speed dial #2. When she holds that #2 key, there must be something wrong. Exams. This is probably the most difficult part of college and the part that I am afraid of. What if I mess up on the exam yet I understood all the material? Please… please don’t fail any exams.
This rain is not making me feel any better, but I think the sun is trying to come out. I need more sunshine. If I am not trapped at school, I am trapped at work. I need something to make me happy. What makes me happy? Friends and family! I think the greatest feeling on earth is whenever I spend some time with them and we share some memories. The second best feeling is… I may sound like a nerd for saying this, but it is volunteer work. The way that people say “Thank you so much” gives… I don’t know. It makes me feel good.
I don’t know. Something still feels weird. It is like I am missing something. What can this be? I am in college with a part time job. What else do I need? What am I missing in my life?

I attended this information session held by a honor society (Sigma ____ ____ ) on September 17th, during the club hours. I do not remember the exact title of the session, but the president, deans and other administrators were a part of it. To give an overview of the session, each dean/administrator went over what their role is at Baruch College. Their goal is to give some general information to the freshman class as well as put a face to some of these names we hear. I personally enjoyed the presentation. It was very informative, but if I could improve it, I would cut down on the speeches and give more time for the freshman to mingle around with the staffs and faculties. Too bad I didn’t get a stamp for the Freshman Seminar class, but I did get free food (which is always a plus especially after 3 hours of morning classes).

If you guys see or hear about any upcoming interesting events, please feel free to share it with everyone else. Never know, maybe we will have a great time at these events.