Author Archives: deena.farrell

I can’t believe I am practically done with my first semester at Baruch College!  It is so surreal to think that I am half way through my freshman year of college.  In the beginning of the semester I was scared and didn’t know whether or not I would make many friends.  I also was uneasy about having the same people in a lot of my classes.  I was afraid I would be too quiet and not outgoing enough.  Luckily for me, it was easy to meet people and the people I have met in my block have been amazing.  I never expected to form such good relationships, especially at a predominately commuter school!  It will be bittersweet as this semester ends, but I know that I have made friendships that will last.  Even though I would like to say I’ve had no regrets looking back, but unfortunately I do.  Academically I feel as if i could’ve taken my work more seriously.  Although at times I felt overwhelmed with my new environment I sometimes became lax and procrastinated certain assignments.  I wish I would’ve been more diligent with homework, because now I am struggling to make some of them up.  Next semester I will try to procrastinate less and stay on top of my work.  Especially because next semester my softball season starts and time management will be crucial.  I’m proud of myself though.  Even though I started of shaky i feel as if I am finishing this semester strongly and hope to carry it over to my second semester.  As a whole, I can look back on my first semester at Baruch and feel content.  New experiences can be hard to adjust to but they are also what made my first semester of college so excited.  Based on how fast this first semester has went, I have learned that I must enjoy and take advantage of everyday I have in college.

In the ninth grade I tried out for my school’s JV softball team.  After 3 long days of try-outs, I made the team!  I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait until the first day of practice!  The first day of practice was on a cold March day.  The field was still hard and rocky from the winter.  I didn’t think my coach would have us do anything but the basics since it was the first day, but I was wrong.  About an hour into practice she tell all the girls to line up at 1st base.  One by one, each girl ran and slide into second.  I have never been good at sliding.  I always was always hesitant when it came to sliding.  By the time it was my turn I had all ready thought of every excuse to get out of sliding, but I figured as a new freshman on the team I had to go through with it.  And I did.  I ran and awkwardly slid into second base.  The entire team cracked up and the coach gave me a confused look.  You would never be able to tell I had played softball my entire life.  The coach told me to try it again.  Now i was afraid, but once again i didn’t want to chicken out.  So I started running and went I felt close enough to the bag I went into the slide.  That’s when I heard my leg crack.  I knew i broke it but didn’t want to believe it.  My coach told me to get up and walk it off, but I couldn’t get up.  I couldn’t move.  I broke my fibula in two places and was in a cast for a month, then P.T for another month after that.  I missed the entire season!  Looking back on that day, I should’ve trusted my gut.  If I would’ve told my coach from the start I wasn’t comfortable sliding it would’ve saved me 2 months as the freshman on crutches in the halls of my high school.

On the outside, I am an eighteen year old girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and big teeth.  I am from Long Island.  Born and raised in Hicksville with my mom, dad, and two sisters.  I’m pretty tall and I’d like to think I come off as an approachable person to others.

On the inside, I am loyal.  I love meeting new people, but when it comes down to it I have six best friends that I cherish more than anything.  For two of them I count down the days until we’ll see each other next, it’s currently 23 days. One lives in Brooklyn and I see her regularly.  One lives in the same room as me and one recently moved to South America.  People usually don’t believe me when I say I have a friend who packed up and moved to Argentina for college. I have a piggy bank in my room labeled “Argentina Fund” in the hopes of one day flying down there to visit her one of these days.  I guess that makes me some what interesting.  I am the daughter of a cancer survivor, an ordeal that taught me never to take my parents for granted.  I am a highly cautious person.  I rarely ever take risks and I like to keep everything on track and I hate surprises.  There are many aspects of myself that I am unsure of,  but if everyone knew exactly who they were, this world be a lot less interesting.

As for my concerns at Baruch, I don’t think I can pick three.  There is one main one that is not only a concern but a fear.  GRADES.   I had decent grades in high school, but put very little effort in.  As you can tell from this blog, I have a habit of procrastinating. Always have.

I attended Kellenberg Memorial High School.  A private Catholic high school that felt more like a jail than a school.  I wore a uniform everyday.  Wool skirt to my knee, never above, a polyester blazer, and yes, I even wore a tie. I attended that school for seven years.  With every year that went by, I hated it even more.  They treated us like delinquents and I even got a detention once for ripping the label of a water bottle. There was no freedom at Kellenberg.  Bathroom breaks during class was always out of the question.  Chewing gum could get you detention and demerits.  Having your cell phone on your being, on or off, was equal to murder.  I love how at Baruch you are treated as an adult.  Oh and I also love not wearing that hideous uniform everyday.

I hope my first year at college changes me for the better.  I hope I acquire better study skills and overall improve my grades from high school.  I hope I can look back on this first blog and regret nothing.  I want my first year to be successful.