Category Archives: Blog Post 1

     Who do I think I am? In general, I am just one of the freshmen in Baruch College. I live in Brooklyn. Like many students in Baruch, I am also a Chinese immigrant, who is not fluent in English. Compare with my people in Baruch, I think the major I plan to take can make me special. After several weeks of college, I find out that many people want to major in accounting. I used to have a plan for accounting as well. However, people can be influenced by others. As I took economic in my high school senior year, I am deeply interested in this subject. Therefore, I will extend to study it in Baruch. May be my major can make my identity.

     Before you adapt yourself into a new environment, you definitely would have some kinds of concerns. Mostly, concerns are caused by strangeness. Baruch’s community is still strange for me. I don’t know how many departments it has, how can I get help from school, and I can I have fun at school. Because everything is unknown for me, I feel kind of lost. Hopefully, after the first semester, I can remove this concern from my mind. The second concern is how to make a balance for college. In high school, we just need to go to school and listen to the teachers. However, we need to figure out almost everything by ourselves now. When should we study? How much time do we need to spend? How to make a balance between schoolwork and other personal work, such as part-time job, friendship, etc.  I am afraid that I can’t make a right balance and will face a bad consequence as a result. As a student, who does not care about his grade? My third concern is about my grade. I heard many people said that it’s hard to get an A in college, since C means average. Therefore, I concerns that I may end up with C grade in most class. Moreover, I don’t really know how I can get good grade in college. Everything is just unknown. In high school, you just need to follow the teachers. Then you will be fine. However, college is different. You need to work in your own way even you don’t know what is the right track.

     My first year in college may help me to make a transition into adulthood, which means I need to grow up my self-responsibility and independence. Hopefully, it can change my positively and make me better off in the next three years.

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

As a student, something that most troubles me is grade. Since college is much different from High School, I still do not know if i am good or bad. Most professors do not spoon-feed their students like teachers do in High School and each professor has different grading policy, some professors look mainly on tests which i prefer most and some professors focus in homework and class participation which I hate most because I am not familiar with English especially pronouncing words for English is my second language and I am not good example of public speaker.

Second, there is too much time gap between courses in my schedule, it’s about 4 hours. Of course I can study or do homeworks during that time, but atmosphere of library puts me into sleep because I have strange habit of studying, I can not study when surrounding is too quiet (I know there are some people talk, but often library is quiet), so I mostly study at home where my brother plays a video game or talk on phone loudly. There are also no Minesweeper and Chess Titan in library computers which is really letdown for me.

Third, I do not know what to eat for lunch. Most foods that is being sold near Baruch College is junks, I am sick of pizzas, deli-foods, Subway or McDonald after I had them for 3 weeks, but other restaurants are little pricey for non-working student like me and I avoid vendor foods because I do not know what they put on their foods, I hope they are keeping expiration dates. Due to circumstances I listed above, I carry foods in thermos lunch box, but it is also bit annoying because I have to sacrifice my sleeping hours and it puts more weight on my bag.

*How do you think your first year at College will change you?

I think first year at college will affect my time management. Before college, I did not think or plan in spending times, but after I went to college, I realized that time management is much important because I had to hang out with friends in different college to continue relationship between me and them, hang out with new people I met at Baruch, prepare for each courses which resulted lack of time.

I think the life in college will also change my taste or habits. As listed in above, I am little picky on certain things, but I should adopt these situation for my academic success and my own mental and physical health because complaining will not change anything, I will have to try using the library as center of learning rather than place to sleep and maybe I will have to put little trust in vendors in street, but I will avoid vendor food much as possible because I have bad memories about them which I do not want to discuss in this blog.

I think I am a fun loving and caring person. I think of myself as a fun loving person because, I’m always outgoing and I have a big sense of humor. I usually do a lot of silly things to make people laugh, or I find a lot of things said by other people to be funny. I think of myself as a caring person because I’ve been working with kids for about 4 years now. I work in a children’s program in the church called The Salvation Army. I’ve been a head teacher there for about 3 years after my first year of volunteering, and I have to admit I love taking care of kids. People always tell me that “Oh, Austin you’re going to be a great father one day.”, or “Austin you’re definitely going to become a teacher when you grow up.” I think my life in college so far has been very different compared to my high school life. In high school, I had the same classes at the same exact times every single day, but in college it’s different. The assignments in college are given all at once and given a due date to do them. In high school the assignments are usually given a day before they’re due. I feel meeting people in college is a lot easier than in high school also. In college it seems so much easier to just go up to someone and just introduce yourself, because you see everyone as a mature adult now. I can actually leave school in the middle of my day to go and buy something to eat, while in high school, I’d be stuck eating school lunch everyday with the same people. I want my first year of college to change me to become a more independent and sociable person. In high school I was a pretty sociable person who talked to everyone, but I’d gain friends who just say hi and bye. I’d rather have long conversations with people to obtain more knowledge about them. I already see myself as becoming more independent, because I look back at the friends I have in high school, and it feels like they’re in “prison”. They go to the same classes everyday and have homework almost everyday. I’m enjoying my time here in Baruch College so far. I’m keeping my eyes open in joining the clubs. I’ve been going to the Baruch gym and handball courts lately to play and meet new people/friends. I’m still currently working in my church and play ball almost all the time. Thank you for reading!

For people that want to know Who Am I, I am Ariel Olivares, I was born on July 3, 1993  I would say that I am a honest, intellectual
young man with big dreams for the future. As a freshman I am planning out what I want my life to be like for the next couple of years.

I want to major in either Marketing or Operations Management it might not appeal to everyone but that’s
what’s great about every single one of us were all different. I want to make
sure I’m at the top of my game and getting my Bachelor’s here at Baruch will
get it done. I am also a huge sports I love watching all sports but my favorite
sport is Baseball, the excitement that I feel when I go to a MLB game is just
phenomenal. Also one of my hobbies that I would like to expand is traveling. I
love moving from place to place exploring new parts of the city I never been
too, knowing that in the back of my head I can’t lost. This determination
devoted student should do well in the future. Most freshman including myself
would be anxious or sort of nervous when they start out at a new school. One of
my biggest concerns was whether or not if I was going to make friends right
away. I was just hoping that I was going to recognize some of the kids that I
went to orientation with and some kids from High School. Right off the bat I
had my first class and I didn’t meet anyone but in my next few classes I
started recognizing a few peers and I was satisfied let’s say. Everyday we see
new faces on the Baruch campus, and the possibility of making new acquaintances.
My second concern was that I might not comprehend the material and be lost. I
felt like this because I’ve heard stories from other college students that if
you don’t take good notes in college you’re going to struggle comprehending
what you’re professor is teaching. Finally my third and final concern was my
time management, I always felt like I need to work on my time management in
order to achieve better grades in school. If I set up a daily routine and
didn’t leave my assignments for the last couple of days I should be in better
shape to enjoy my free time. What will make my college experience different
from H.S. is that this feels more like the real world nobody is going to just
hand you in you have to work for everything and that I don’t see all of my old
H.S. friends as much it’s just a part of life. I think the first year of
college won’t be perfect but it will test me mentally and I’ll just have to
grind it out.

My name is dada zhang, I am 18 years old this year, I was born in Heibei province. Nouth of china. But I was living in BeiJing which is the captial city in China. And I went to California at my senior year in high school. I like to go out with my friends and doing some stupid things. I think I am a kind of person with very easygoing charachter.

As you know this is my second year living in America and also it’s my first year at college so I think the freshman year in college will have a lot of challenges for me. but anyways I think I can figure it out. In this year I will try to make some new friends because there is a lot of peopel and seems like everyone is so busy about study and works. seems just me have a lot of free times. So I am going to find some people like to going out with me. Other things I concern abot is the English, as you know i am from other country which means English is my second langunge and I am so stupid about learning langunge. Therefore I guess I will have big trouble on my study.

 The college is the last time for most people to learning things with, I mean from the textbooks. So I think college experience is going to give me a lot of help in my future. While in the high school I was think about the college. But when I am in the college I am start thinking about my future which is the most different. The college is an important time in my life especially as an international student study abroad. I think this period of time will help me to running my father’s business when I come back to China, especially graduate from Baruch.

I think the frist year in the college will change me a lot. For example most time I am on my own, I have to done sometings without others helps. So I will be more independence after this year. I remember when I came to New York I have know nobody. So I have to find a place to live and have to buy some new furnitures and so on. Now my life is smooth and steady. So I just need to put more time on my study.

That is me. A student from China and like to make new friends.

“Be myself, everyone else is already taken.”

I think who I am depends on different time and different people. Sometimes, I hope I can Google how different people feel about me. I think I am a unique Chinese live in New York City. I know I always make mistakes, but I am proud to be me, and I am willing to experience more tastes in my life. I am a freshman in Baruch College. I graduated from Lower East Side Prep High School and I went to Lewiston High School in Maine when I first came to the United States. This part of background makes me differ from everyone. I am generally a quiet person to strangers, but I am kind of chatty after knowing the person. I play basketball at my spare time and I like spending time on movies and chatting with my friends on internet. I have a quite positive attitude when I deal with all kinds of trouble.  I am engaged to learn new things, but then I lack of patient to explore the new knowledge when things go too complicated or go beyond the topic. I speak English as my second language as many fellow students. I see life is full of stories. While I am experiencing unique story, I am getting wiser and mature to keep on good work.

I feel restless but excited in the first month of my freshman year at Baruch College. The top three concerns about my freshman year here are, adjusting myself into college life, making friends, and looking for my interest in career path. I always hesitate when I am going to make decision. I see things have so many possibilities and I would do my best to make it good.  As I look forward to knowing more people, I could not step outside my comfort zone. The first thing i have to adjust, is I receive tons of reading for homework which alerts me I have to improve my reading speed and understand the content. Study is on my own and professors would no longer ask me to study but the grade would automatically reflects my work. Secondly, I want to make more friends in the freshman year at Baruch College because I need friends. Lastly, I think it’s time to plan for future and get to know more about myself. I believe I will discover my interests of my life throughout the freshman year at college.

I think college life is totally different than high school. College students are more eager to study and college constantly contributes a better learning atmosphere for its students. The first thing came up my mind when I think of the differences between college and high school is time management. I recognize I have a poor time management skill in the first month at college. I try to arrange my time so that I can put the most effort into study.

At last, I think my first year at Baruch College will change me to be an independent and responsible person. In particular, I think I would improve my reading and writing skill within the freshman year. And I am going to enjoy the college life.

  I am an ordinary student study inBaruchCollege, and also my name is common among people, I often meet people who have the same name with me, but I am unique in the world. I firmly believe that everyone is different from the other people; there will not be two people exactly the same, even if they are twins. Everyone is unique in the world. I am optimistic, I am sanguine, I never fear hardships, I try my best to do everything, and I never give up. I play a lot role in my life. Though I am not perfect, still I am the only one in the world.

   About my first freshman year inBaruchCollege, for me the most concern is how to pass all the classes and maintain a high GPA. It is the challenge to my English. My English is poor, but the classes demand a richer and more subtle mastery of the English, I do not have enough confidence about that. I need to build up my confidence in college. My second concern is about time management. Because I always think the time is not enough for me to do all the study. I should learn to how to use my time effectively. My third concern is about the major that I should choose. I only know that I want the major in business, but I am not sure which one of it. I am equivocal in this case, but I think it is very important for my future, so I need to make a decision after long deliberation. I hope I will figure it out soon.

   I think my high school experience seems to much easier than the college experience. The college is much different from the high school; it needs to do a lot work on our own initiative. For example, there are many reading materials we need to read everyday, it makes me become dizzy and lose my bearings. I spend a lot time in doing homework, and writing the essay. It seems to I can not finish all of them forever, but I will never give up, and I will keep trying and trying.  In the high school, the teachers teach us how to learn, but in the college, the professors teach us how to think. We need to figure out many things by ourselves. I will make efforts to do all my work well.

  I think the college  life will make me become more industrious and independent. My life may be more colorful in the college. Sooner or later, my dream will come true one day.

The human is a drop water in the ocean when compared to the infinite expanse of the universe. Even though I am an ordinary people as negligible as a grain of sand, I believe that I am a unique person who has different experiences and challenges in the world. Also, I am a tough girl who always takes an optimistic attitude to face life no matter what kind of obstacles or calamities would befall her.

As a freshman at Baruch college, there are three concerns about my college life in first year. The first and the most important concern is my English skill. English as a second language for me, it probably become an stumbling block when I study in various academic areas . I wish that I have more participations and opportunities to improve my English level during studying in Baruch College. The second concern is GPA, I already heard some complains which it is hard to get a high GPA in college. I think that getting a good grade depend on what kind of learning attitudes you take. However, I will try my best to do it. Finally, I am afraid that whether I am able to accommodate the new college life. It is unacquainted for me to accept numerous strange things, like new relationship, environment and different academy. Anyway, I am firmly convinced that I have ability to adopt new life with my change and endeavor.

Obviously, I realized that Baruch College experience different from my high school experience. There are full of pressure surrounding me in the college. The pressure is not only form an overload of studies, but also it is made by competitive force between me and other student. Therefore, those tension could become an motivation to encourage me to keep forward , develop and change.

Ultimately, I expect that I will make my English skill to be advantage in the first college year. Additional, I am eager to expand my relationship net through making more friends in order to inspire myself to study merits from those persons. However, I look forwad to completing my achievements at Baruch College.

College is a new start of our lives. We get more chances to explore the world. But fit into this new life in the college is not easy.it makes me have several concerns at the beginning of the college. And I realize this new life will also shape my personalities

As I step into the Baruch college, a totally new environment for me. I realize I will have lots of obstacles in front of me, and it makes me concern many things. First I am worried about my grades. I want to get a good GPA. But the class works and the readings are much harder than I thought. The amount of readings for one day can be ten times more than the works in my high school. I am also concerned that I cannot fit into the Baruch society. I did not know anyone here, and get to know the new people and the new professors can be really hard. So I am afraid that I cannot make friends in this new environment. What I concerned most is my writing skills. After I saw the syllabus, I realize there are many writing assignments, and those essays play the most important part for determining your grades. I just came to this country three years ago, so I am not a great English writer, I may have some grammar mistakes. So I am worried that will affect my grades.

The college’s experience can really affect me in many ways. I think I will be more independent after my first year in Baruch. The college is all on you, the professor will not push you to do your homework and readings like the high school teachers did. So it is all our responsibility to do our work and study the class materials by ourselves. I will also learn how to manage my time better after the first year. There are lots of readings and essay assignments. I realize that we cannot wait until last minute. We have to plan ahead. If the paper is due tomorrow, we have to start one week before. So we don’t have to work until 3 o’clock at the midnight. We always have to be well prepared for everything. Last, I think the college experience will make me become a more outgoing person. I see the college experience in Baruch is really fun. There are many clubs and activities. I will try to join them, and participate with them. So I will have opportunity to meet more people, and make more friends.

The life in Baruch is really exciting. It can affect us very much. We may meet many obstacles, and have many concerns. But we should not give up. We all come to Baruch for a future dream, and if we work harder, this dream will come true.