Monthly Archives: September 2010

As an individual, I pride myself on always being the best and striving for success. Although I didn’t always put the greatest effort into activities I enrolled in and school, sports, I have come to the point where I can proudly say that I have reached my goal. College is a time to flourish and broaden your horizons; hopefully during the time I attend I will achieve my goals and expand my knowledge of business. I have always been a respectable athlete, from volleyball all the way to sports like football and basketball. My competitive nature makes it easy to succeed and play hard against opponents.  To begin with, my number one issue at Baruch is the lack of social connection between the students. When I came to Baruch, I knew that it was a commuter school but the overall stereotype of college is about “making new friends” and “partying hard”. Unfortunately Baruch does not offer these types of privileges but what they lack in fun they make up for in education. The sole reason I enrolled in Baruch was because of the highly respected Zicklin School of Business. I hope to receive a degree from Zicklin, and pursue a career in investment management, or any type of real estate located in the tri-state area. My high school and Baruch are awfully different, aside from both being day schools they differ completely. The diversity that Baruch maintains clearly is a result from the diveristyy located right in NYC. I have met many new people from all over the world, from France all the way to Africa, and it has been a remarkable experience. The way the professors teach the classes are extremely different than the way teachers did in high school because in high school, it was more of spoon-feeding. In college, you are told something once and expected to deliver something spectacular no matter what the circumstances may be. I definitely believe that I have changed during my short time at Baruch College, fortunately for the better. I have improved budgeting money, and developed a study ethic that will help me achieve my goals academically; two critical skills in order to succeed in college. I moved into my apartment a few days ago and by cooking my own dinners, washing my clothes I will develop a sense of autonomy and independence.

a. Tell us who you think YOU are!
I think I’m Jon Kaplan (spell my name with an H and there will be problems) son of Ronnie aka Moses, and Natalie. I also think I am a very outgoing person, I enjoy a fine night out on the town with a few of my colleagues. I tend to be sarcastic with certain things, like crazy math teachers… absolute value.

b. Share your top 3 concerns about your freshman year at Baruch and explain why.

1) Keeping my GPA up – although I am a genius, I tend to not pay attention in class, which can result in negative things such as bad grades/low gpa

2) Procrastination – As seen in this post, I wait until the last minute to do my work which is not good. I wish I would do my work on time, but for some reason I convince myself I have better things to do.

3) Getting to school on time – My commute every morning is very rough I have to walk almost .05 Miles to get to Baruch College.

c. So far, what do you think will make your Baruch College experience different from your high school experience?

The major difference between Baruch and my HS is that I actually have to read and do work. I got along in High School with grades in the low and mid 90s without ever reading a book or studying for a test once. I am not lying. I feel like I am just now learning to read.

d. How do you think your first year at college will change you?

Well, besides the college part, living in NYC is going to change me alot. I feel that going to this city instead of a campus environment will cause me to grow up alot quicker, living on my own makes it 150% quicker because I have to take care of my own place. My situation being that I want to become an Entrepreneur in NYC is even better, because I will learn alot about the different areas and the different people of the city.

I am a student, a friend, a daughter, and many others things.  My concerns for freshman year is not taking schoolwork serious enough and falling behind.  I don’t want to get into the swing of things to late.  I’m also concerned about spending too much money and having boring professors. 
So far Baruch has been pretty different from my high school.  I have to act a lot more independantly and count more on myself.  I think during this first year I will undergo many changes, intellectually and maturity level wise.  I’m hoping to learn alot of things all around.

a. Tell us who you think YOU are!

Well this is a hard question because I’m still young, I’m still growing within and I still have time to discover who I really am. I know my name is Maggie Tien and I’m from Brooklyn, NY. Right now I am a student at Baruch College and I do not know what I want to do in the future. I give credit to people who do know what they want to do in the future because it keeps them focused, “Eye on the prize.” I am keeping my options open at the moment because I have changed paths many times. I’m still growing and discovering myself every day!

b. Share your top 3 concerns about your freshman year at Baruch and explain why.

My top three concerns are getting a good GPA, letting procrastination get the best of me and focusing in class. I want a good GPA because everyone does. It makes me feel accomplished and it just looks good. I heard it’s easier to get a high GPA during freshman year so I’m going to try and work hard this year. I procrastinate too much and I’m just lazy to do stuff so I need to pull myself to do the work instead of pushing it off. I need to focus in class because sometimes the teachers are boring and I just want to fall asleep. These tie into each other so if I get one of them; I can get the other two.

c. So far, what do you think will make your Baruch College experience different from your high school experience?

I think Baruch is not that different from my high school. It is so similar. I feel like I graduated high school to go into another high school. The environments the same and almost everything is the same. The only difference is that I knew way more people in high school and I had a “home” place to go to everyday but in Baruch I don’t.

d. How do you think your first year at college will change you?

I think it will just make me grow more mature and discover myself a little more. I just hope my personality doesn’t change.

A) Im michael lavin son of my father and im the man.

b) 1)Im concerned that im gonna fail my subjects because i dont understand any of my teachers.
     2) Im concered about getting to school on time because the commute is rough every morning and new york is so confusing.
      3)Im concerned over sleeping and missing my classes cause that would not be good.
c) everythings gonna be different but i dont mind it because oh boy i love baruch some much i dont know why anyone wouldnt come here.
d) Nope not at all, this year will not change me.

a. Michael Salem, son of Raymond, from Brooklyn, NY. I am a full-time student at Baruch college.

b. My top 3 concerns about my freshman year are:

1. Passing math – because my professor is the worst teacher I ever encountered in my lifetime and I cannot see myself passing unless I get extra tutoring.

2. Getting to school on time – With a one hour commute every morning it is hard to get in every day on time for the first class

3. Unknown

c. In Baruch, I do homework at home and will study for tests at home. In high school, I never studied for one test or did one hw at home.

d. It will get me one step closer to graduating.

a. Tell us who you think YOU are!
I believe this is a hard question to answer at the moment; I’m still trying to discover who I am and establish my own identity in the world. So far, I know I am a student at Baruch..I know my likes and dislikes, but that’s as far as I can really go. Learning and discovering who one is never stops..it is a process that continues for a lifetime, and therefore, I believe that anyone who answers this question with a self-assured answer hasn’t really accepted the fact that everyone continues to grow and learn each day, regardless of age.

b. Share your top 3 concerns about your freshman year at Baruch and explain why.
I have many concerns, some that I even find a bit ridiculous, especially because I am a freshman. I’m mostly concerned about my classes and the type of professors here at Baruch. The only professor I’ve had this semester that I consider sane is my History teacher. I don’t know what is going on with the other professors. Also, I wish I would have been able to either take more classes or choose my own classes. I can’t believe I’m not taking French this semester, and it saddens me because I hope I don’t forget anything by the time I am allowed to take it. In addition, I’m concerned about how the school staff communicates with themselves in general…I feel like no one talks to each other and it has happened on more than one occasion, where I have asked a professor something and it will be the opposite of what someone else who works in the school has told me. It’s like playing ping-pong..and I feel like everyone here is just looking out for themselves, which is typical of a business school..but, come on, even the staff?

c. So far, what do you think will make your Baruch College experience different from your high school experience?
I feel like the work and the days off will make my Baruch College experience different from my high school experience. I’m used to having very diligent teachers who love giving work..and that’s the mindset I have. I feel as if my first semester is sort of a joke, and it frustrates me to not be doing anything productive. I know school just started, but first impressions are also the last impressions..and most of my professors have given me the impression of, “I just come here to get paid.” I need to write essays..I need to read literature..I need to do something productive. I’m not paying $6,000 dollars this semester (out-of-state, no financial aid) to listen to personal stories and have everyone babied on how to insert quotations in an essay. I feel like that’s also what angers me the most..the fact that my classes were chosen for me when I’m the one paying out of my pocket (in reference to question three). I don’t feel like I’m being academically challenged enough, and I hope that does not affect me when I choose my own classes next semester. Most people feel that I should just get an easy A if I’m not having any problems, but I like my education..and this isn’t high school anymore..I’m paying out of my pocket.

d. How do you think your first year at college will change you?
I have no clue, really. But I believe I might’ve somewhat answered this in the previous question.

a. Tell us who you think YOU are!

I think this is a pretty broad question, with or without the word “think.” I think who I am goes a lot deeper than my personality traits and the person others perceive me to be. I am an intellect. My mind is constantly on its own journey. I’m a daydreamer, easily lost within my own thoughts and philosophies. I’m not a conformist; government and societal ideologies I believe, are the worst things man has EVER come up with… I’m more on the liberal side; I believe everyone deserves freedom and equality. I’m a shy person and it hinders me because I have so much to say… sometimes it’s difficult to find the voice when I need it most. Many take my kindness for weakness; horrible mistake. I like to recreate and reinvent myself on a constant basis. I’m always striving to better myself… I can’t find in anyone else what I don’t have within myself. I’m a lover before a fighter. I like to believe that everything happens for a reason and that every situation leads to a greater and bigger cause… For that reason, I take life one day at a time and try my hardest to be open-minded. I’ve traveled to many places to date, but the world’s too majestic to ever quit. I want to travel, write and inspire people at some point in my life… Whether I’m retired after a long and successful career or that becomes my journey, I accept whatever the future has in store for me with open arms.

b. Share your top 3 concerns about your freshman year at Baruch and explain why.

-I’m lazy; waking up early… some mornings I don’t even care if I’m on time or not… The work, I’m a procrastinator… blah.

-Everyone keeps telling me how tough Baruch is… It kind of discourages me at times because I don’t even want to be in school, much less one this competitive. However, accomplishing goals and getting through obstacles will be well worth the hardship. Ultimately, I think Baruch will make me a stronger and more dedicated individual.

-I just pray I can get my sh!t together and survive at this dang school!

c. So far, what do you think will make your Baruch College experience different from your high school experience?

The work load and the fact that I’m not being babied anymore. Now it’s do or die, if I don’t do for myself, I can kiss success goodbye. I graduated from high school with a 91 avg. That was without a lot of effort. I feel like I won’t touch a GPA like that while I’m in Baruch because everything will be so much more intense.
d. How do you think your first year at college will change you?

I hope I can come out of this school a more mature and responsible person. At 18, I’m still a child in many ways and I believe that my time at Baruch will change that.

A) My name is Stefanie Cantero. Obviously i’m a freshman at Baruch, & i’m just trying to figure out what I really want to do with my life. I’m a daughter/older sister/bestfriend/pretty good advice giver. I like to eat, listen to music, hang out with my friends and sleep .. & thats about it.

B) My top 3 concerns about my freshman year are:

1. Keeping my grades high enough to pass all 5 of my classes because unlike highschool, i can’t just go to class listen a little and then be able to pass all the tests.

2. Keeping up with all the reading for each class. As of now i’m about 3 chapters behind on my reading for my history class, because in highschool when teachers told us to read for hw noone actually read, we came into class the next day and the teacher went over what we were Supposed to read. Now i actually have to do the work on my own.

3. Actually going to class everyday. I went to a small catholic highschool and if we were ever absent our parents had to call the school with an explanation andd we’d have to bring in a note the next day, which kinda forced me to go to school. Now that noone cares whether or not i go to class, I think its gonna be a little harder for me to actually go to every single class.

C) Right now everything about my Baruch College experience is different from my highschool experience. I somewhat like the independence that comes along with college but like I said earlier, that independence is going to make things a little more difficult.

D) I think my first year in college has already begun to change me. I have become a little bit more responsible and i actually attempt to read (since theres nothing else to do on my 45 min train ride) I’m hoping by the end of this first semester i’ll be alot more responsible than i am right now. I also hope it teaches me to be more independent & to not count on others so much when i have to make decisions or do things for myself.

a)I am the son of a loving father and mother. I am friends with some of the greatest people on earth. I’m the happy and outgoing guy who has an addiction to the gym. That sounds weird though…not many people would think going to the gym is addictive, so I guess I’m weird! My life revolves around staying healthy and family/friends. So I guess you could say I’m not exactly school oriented.b. Share your top 3 concerns about your freshman year at Baruch and explain why.

b) 1)Maintaining a decent GPA is my top concern at Baruch. In high school, I breezed by classes with A’s by doing the bare minimum, so I wasn’t exactly “challenged”. But now that I’m in Baruch, I have no idea how hard the work is and how I’ll respond to the amount of work this semester. making lifelong friends, and getting involved in some extra curricular activities.  2) My second concern is how hard it is to make friends in a commuter college. I have only been in the school for about a week and have yet to make more than a few friends. I am hoping it will get easier as the year progresses. 3) Getting involved in non academic activities is important but it seems to be really hard for me. I think it’s because I’m such a sloth. I never want to do anything outside my schedule that requires more work.

3) The first thing that comes to mind in difference between my high school and Baruch is people. In my high school, the majority of people were lazy, inattentive students who barely did work. It is the exact opposite in Baruch. For the last week or so, all the people I’ve seen are competitive and hard working. So, the change of environment is undeniably the biggest change for me.

4) I think my first year in college will straighten up my work habits. I have always been a procrastinator in the past, because the teachers always gave me some leeway on late work. Now that I’m in college, the professors are completely serious about deadlines and don’t seem to bother with late work. It will be a huge change and I don’t expect it to be a smooth transition.