Author Archives: timmy.stephen

If you are keeping up with my blogs, you may remember that I pretty much had a bad feeling about Baruch. Well….I pretty much have most of those feelings still, but a lot of it has changed.  For example, although I was worried about making a lot of friends in college, I’m fine with the few close friends I made whom are also in most of my classes.  A few weeks ago, scheduling began for the Spring Semester, and I was kind of upset that I’m not in the same classes with most of my friends.  It makes me wonder what our relationship will be like after Spring.  I’ve recently been going to the library the past week every day after class to study for upcoming finals in a last minute effort to boost my grade.  I took the elevator to the top floor where it’s less crowded and more quite.  When I got to the top, I saw a few kids from my Calculus class.  I’ve been going there every day and meeting more of the Macaulay kids. I never thought that the LIBRARY is where I would make friends, nor did I ever think that THAT’s the place we would hang out. I envy the group for not getting into the program (which I still don’t understand why because I did better than a lot of them in high school), but also because they have a really close bond with each other.  Their personalities all blend together with each other, which makes it fun and easy for me, as an outsider, to converse with them.  It also made me realize that Calc was the only class that I had that didn’t have 100+ students, so I’m getting a little upset that it’s almost over and I may not see the rest of those classmates again.  If I could do first semester over again, I would go to the library more to study after class.  What need to I have to go home right away? Just to watch TV?  I know I can do better in school, but I just want some kind of inspiration/ motivation to keep my grades higher.  I have SOOO much reading for my classes to do and my super duper long commute doesn’t make it easier for me to get work done.  Between school, sleep, commuting, and the very little amount of homework that I do, I don’t have time for much extra studying because I MUST set aside at least an hour a day to ME TIME, where I can just watch TV and relax.  Most people would say they have changed in college.  I can’t really say that I have.  I’m still the same slacker who has had senioritis since 11th grade.  I still make people laugh all the time, which is my daily goal.  I might say the only thing different is that, I’m keeping a bit more facial hair, and spending a lot more money.  I’m worried about next semester.  My schedule is spread out, I have more and harder classes, I will still be commuting, and I won’t have Fridays off anymore.  I need someone who has been in my position or knows me well enough to tell me I will be fine and I will do well.  More importantly….I need to believe them.

Dear Diary,

I love how I’m writing to a diary.  I love how I HAVE a diary now. I love Baruch College.  It’s such a great environment.   I love my two hour commute in the morning and then in the evening.  I love the smell of the non-fresh, toxic fumes of New York City.  I love making my way up the working escalators.  I love starting my day with meaningful classes like Music in Civilization and History that will help me in life on my quest to pursue a Finance major.  I love how I took many more CollegeNow business classes in high school whereas; I take no business classes now.  I love how being in this college feels like I’m in 13^th grade.  College is so hard. I have to do homework.  I have to read.  I have to procrastinate all my school work until the morning of classes.  I love how I made hundreds of friends this year that I go out with each weekend and party.  I love how I feel like I’m getting that great education that everyone says Baruch has to offer.  I love how I do not feel like a college student at all.  Most importantly, I love my genius calc professor.

I call this picture "Genius in the Zone"

Hmmm….Concerns I have about college? Well yeah of course; every freshman has their worries about their post high school education.  Will I find a good group of friends for the upcoming years at this commuters’ school? Will I have a fun social life even though I have a two hour long commute to make twice a day?  Will I keep my grades up now that I’ve begun the next step in my life? These are all my biggest worries about college.

In high school, I had the greatest group of friends anyone can ask for.  All of us guys have been in the same classes for years, we all had fun going out every weekend, we all had jobs, we all dated girls at the same time, we all played sports and we all had high grades.  It’s worrisome to me that they all are in big time universities or med schools, while I’m still living at home.  I’m too old to whine about it, so I intend to make the best of my situation.

A social life is important to me.  It’s difficult going FROM a lifestyle of floating through school easily getting good grades and partying TO a lifestyle of having to study every night and going to sleep when I finally get home each night.  I spent my first couple of weeks of school this year working every day I had off from class.  I cut my hours down to working only Sundays hoping to lower my workload.  Now with my free time, I get to go on Facebook to see pictures and comments about how fun all my friends are having in college.  Usually I’m not the envious type BUTTTTT…..what can I say, I messed up.

High school came easy for me.  I rarely studied.  My study habits basically went like this:

1)      “O crap……we have a test tomorrow?”

2)      Stay up and cram for a test the night before

3)      Wake up

4)      Ace the test

Even with all the AP and CollegeNow classes I took, I still graduated with a 97 GPA.  I spent the last few months of high school realizing how this is not a good way to start college.  I knew that college matters more than high school and I thought that understanding that doing well in college will land me a better job was enough motivation for me to actually do work and study.  Procrastination is my evil best friend.  I save everything for the last minute and it will be my inevitable downfall one day.  Even right now, I’m rushing to finish this blog.  By the way, whoever gave us this very purposeful assignment….GREAT IDEA!

Now what is the difference between high school and Baruch College?  Well for me, I consider Baruch College to be a 13^th grade.  I hope nobody takes that the wrong way.  Just my opinion.  Not much of a difference.  I still live at home.  I have to ask my parents to go out.  I still get yelled at by my neighbors for driving too fast.  I still have to cut the grass.  My mom still comes in my room every morning before she wakes up to give me a kiss (Awwww!….yes I know), I still hang out with kids in high school, and I still take classes similar to the ones I took in college.  One thing I despise about this school is how we have to take general classes our first two years.  Like seriously? WHY? TO BE WELL ROUNDED? I know I want to be a business major.  I didn’t come to this school to be an astrophysicist.  Taking all these pointless classes isn’t really helping me pursue my dream job.  How is Music in Civilization going to provide any benefit for me in life? No offense Professor (I actually enjoy sitting her class), but is identifying a piece of music to be homophonic or monophonic actually important? WHO CARES? I can already tell when there is one person singing or if there is more than one instrument playing two different melodies without needing to take a full semester long class about it.  Fact of the matter is that I took way more CollegeNow business oriented classes in high school than I am now.