Author Archives: janeth.villavicencio

I wasn’t able to read the study tips from the planner we were given. All my books and everything in my room got packed. Everything is in boxes. However, I have my own tips for studying that I found very useful for me. I will describe my tips instead.

I had to make up my own study tips and environment at the start of high school. Before high school, I never really studied to be truthful. I was never able to study; I was never good at it either. I just didn’t know how. Nevertheless, I learned on my own how to study when I started to really need it. In high school, I started using index cards and rewriting the notes I took during class. At first, rewriting notes wasn’t a study tip until I realized it was actually helping me understand and memorize the important point of my notes. Just rewriting word for word what you wrote allows you to review, understand, and memorize the notes. I found this little trick to be very useful. It may be stressful writing everything again, but I started to do that because my notes seemed messy the first time around. Rewriting them comes out neater and it helps you study.

The uses of index cards are also very useful right before a test or a speech. Putting all the notes into bullet points helps understand and memorize the main points than trying to know all the small details. While rewriting notes, you can make index cards are the side. Any phrase you believe is important; you write it in the index card and test yourself on it later. Another tip for studying I think is not to be surrounded by distractions. Low music or the sound of TV for me is necessary for my studying environment but for others that might be a distraction. So make sure that where you are and what surrounds you will not take your mind away from your goal, studying until you’ve understood everything and you feel ready.

I believe one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had was when I volunteered in Ronald McDonald’s House of Charities. Baking, cooking, playing games with the children and seeing the big smile on their faces, made the experience unforgettable. From this and other experiences, I realized that helping others, in any way, big or small, is something that I really enjoy. It’s something that can really make you feel good and proud about yourself. We’re never asked to do much for others. It’s something that should not be asked. We should want to do it. In this country, there are so many people that need a helping hand. As residents and citizens of this country, we’re not asked to do much, for the country in general, other than pay taxes and vote. So, volunteering and helping citizens that are less fortunate than us shouldn’t seem like too much. We should be thankful for what we do have but also remember those out there who don’t have that. Something we ask for more things and want more, not because we need it, but  just because we ant it. We should remember that we at least have a home, food, clothing; others don’t even have that.

Community service is an important part of helping others. We may think that all we can do is give money, but that’s not true. There are other things people appreciate more than just money. For example, giving up some of your free time to spend with children in the hospital, cooking and serving at soup kitchens, waking up early and walking in a cancer walk, baking and selling to fund raise fora good cause. These are things that people will sometimes be more thankful than money because it shows that you went out of your way to help out. We all can give money, whether we care about the cause or not, whether we give thousands or just a few dollars. However, not many gives up their time and effort to be there showing how important and how much you care for something. Knowing we helped out and did the right thing is a satisfying feeling we should all want to feel.

The relationship between leadership and community service projects is very simple. A leader leads a group to help others [and themselves] reach a common goal. A community service project is a goal that a group of people are a part of to help others. Every community service project has a leader. By going out of your way and volunteering in a project, you become a leader. Although you may not be leading the project, you become a leader to your friends and classmates who are not part of the project yet. If they see your interest in volunteering, you may encourage them to join the cause and help out too making you a leader. You can make the change with in your group of friends. You can be an inspiration to them while helping the less fortunate as well.

To promote volunteer work at Baruch, we should have more volunteer events in the college. However, we have to keep in mind that it may be difficult for some to attend since they may be working or have a class. Events should be created when we know a majority can be part of it. You can also make it mandatory like in class like Freshman Seminar. Another way to boost volunteerism is by giving credit to the volunteers. As volunteers, we should not want to help out to get something in return, but sometimes it does feel nice to feel appreciated and recognized for what you did. We should also do more things that students find interesting or something in which they can get something out of it too. For example, having school dances, carnivals, raffles, bake sales or trips. These all are great fundraisers, but students may also find them fun to be a part of.

The  first question is very tough to answer. I don’t really know how to answer this. I prefer to be described than to describe myself. However, I consider myself someone who is responsible, determined, outgoing, but at times a bit shy as well. I am also very stubborn and at times, I think that’s a good thing. It makes me work towards my goals with much more interest and it allows me not to give up that easily. Another quality I think defines me is that I’m socially and friendly with almost anyone, anyone that I feel I can trust, at least. I try to be as open as I possibly can so people get to know me, however, I do expect something sort of the same back to understand if they are interested or not and to know if I can trust them. Trust is gained and if I am not able to get to know them, I don’t think they should get to know me better either. I also consider myself a hard working person who likes challenges and perseveres to accomplish them. I like knowing and feeling I worked to get to where I am. I like knowing I earned it with my hard work and dedication and it just wasn’t handed to me so easily. It makes me feel proud of myself. Lastly, I am a bit of a perfectionist but I have learned that no one or nothing in life is or may become perfect. Reason why I’ve also learned that there are some things that I cannot change and I have to accept that.

My top three concerns my first year are: one, passing my classes this semester, being able to finish paying my tuition fee on my own through my job and working towards getting financial aid for my next semester, and lastly, being able to adjust to my new college life; making new friends, getting use to my schedule and balancing my time between school and my new job, which I really need. These three things are my major concern because they are important for me to succeed my first year. They will also help me get through my whole college experience. I believe they are major keys to not only this year, but for my future. These adjustments are important to me.

Until now my college experiences have been very different from my high school experiences. I have a very different schedule from high school, that’s for sure. In high school my schedule started at 7:30am to 6pm because I had four hours of shop and I took college classes after my regular school hours. I also went to school every day of the week unlike now. I was not a part time student. I also had my group of friends which I’m starting to gain a new group now. However, it’s different since I knew them already and also had a plan prepared for the day. Now I’m just getting to know everyone. Lastly, being surrounded by many different people of different ages helps me have a different perspective of things now.

This first year I think will change me in a good way. I think it will change my point of view and help me understand others. I think I’ll get a different opinion of things from people of different ages unlike high school where everyone was around the same age, except for instructors. It will make me a bit more open minded and more mature of things. I also think college will help me understand how valuable my time really is and how I should handle and plan out my time to get the most of it. I should learn to accomplish the most I can with the time I’m given or just have.