Freshman Seminar Motherblog, 2011

a. My experience at Baruch College has lived up to my expectations. It is exactly what I had imagined it to be. The workload and studying is just as i predicted it to be, not too much. My experience at Baruch College did not exceed my expectations because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

b. I think my first semester at Baruch College went well. My grades in my classes are more or less good and my attendance as well.

c. If I could do my first semester all over again there is not one thing I would do differently. I am happy with the way it went and honestly, there is not one thing I would change.

d. Since I started Baruch College, I definetly have changed. I got more smarter.

Baruch is not quite what I expected. I mean I knew it was a commuter school, but i didn’t once people were  done class they just went home. Baruch is a good school, but it has to work ion enticing its students to become more engaged in the school. Also even though its a business school, it has to the focus of the students off of that. It has to nurture its students to do other things such as entrepreneurship etc.

My first semester at Baruch is going okay. I’ve met some great people, but as to the school itself, it’s just a building to me.  I would say the Professors are funny to. The first semester block system was really good. it was great making friends with the same people from class to class. We all shared the same teachers and the same experiences. But on the other I’m glad it was only for one semester. It could feel like High school part two sometimes, and that is never a good feeling. s

What would I do differently? I would get an apartment and actually live in the city. Sometimes it can be a struggle getting to school. With the MTA being totally unreliable, sometimes the delays on the transportation system are so bad. I remember one time the train sat on the tracks for twenty minutes, and from what I hear, that’s nothing.

I have changed tremendously since I’ve come to Baruch. I would say my career path is more defined. The thing is however is, Baruch wasn’t the place that helped me. I had to do some soul searching for what I want to do with the rest of my life, and how I am going to change this world profoundly.

New York City is a place where dreams are conquered, and believe me. We’ve all been given the tools to succeed…Let me change that statement. You can conquer your dreams anywhere. Just as long as the dedication stays the same.

Was Baruch the right choice? I have a saying that goes everything happens for a reason. You must make the most out of everything. No matter where you are placed, it is your duty to make the most of it. Where you are does not determine your future success. You determine your success. There is story that goes like this. There was a guru who was enlisted to help a man become successful. The guru said to the man meet me at the beach at 6 am. The man I don’t want to swim, I want to be successful. The guru said regardless meet me at the beach. So the next morning the man met the guru at the beach and the guru said to go into the water. The guy said I don’t want to swim, I want to make money. The guru said go in the water. When the water was knee length, the guru told the man to go in further. Now the water level was at the mans shoulders. The guru said to go further into the water. When the water was up to the guys nose, the guru held him down. So right now the guy is flailing and when the guru released him, he asked him. “When i was drowning you, what did you want to do.” The guy said breath. The guru said the moment you want to breath as bad as you’ll be successful, that’s when you’ll be successful. No matter the grim outlook, it is up to you to make sure everything goes according to plan. This is how I live my life. One day at a time, one moment at a time.

Baruch did live up to my expectations aesthetically although the buildings were a little smaller than I thought it would be. Somewhat surprisingly I found Baruch to be a pretty relaxed environment, almost like my high school except not as condensed and with a lot more freedom. I expected my classes to be academically challenging but I found it to be pretty easy. I wish that my classes didn’t come packed in one particular block because I would have preferred to take different classes over some of the ones I have now instead of going with the most preferable set. I didn’t expect the students to just go home or to their jobs right after classes but then again I didn’t really bother to think about that.

My first semester was pretty easy and I found most of the classes interesting enough to keep me engaged. The time seemed to have just flew by because now I’m already preparing for finals although I have these moments where I sit back and realize that the semester is already over.  I met new people and I joined a club which was a lot of fun. I wouldn’t really do anything differently except to study and prepare myself more. I did well in most of my exams but there are some where I wished I could have studied more because I wasn’t very pleased with the grade I received. But there is no one to blame for that except myself, hopefully I’ll start taking my classes more seriously in the future.

I don’t think I’ve changed much since attending Baruch. I guess I don’t procrastinate as much, I actually study before exams, and I learned to manage my time somewhat efficiently.

a) I guess Baruch matched my expectations. I mean, I thought there would be less immature people, but half the population is just freshman and sophomores so I guess we have a lot of growing up to do. I also didn’t expect the sports team to be very popular and I was confused when people wondered if there was a Baruch football team. Academically, I knew college was going to be harder and more study time and that’s what it is. To be honest, it would have been much easier if I didn’t have gpa killers for professors.

b) The first semester actually went better than I thought it would be. I joined a club, and plus we have a block so it was easier to make friends. Of course we all didn’t talk to each other until halfway there but it was a great experience for a non learning community block. With grades, it so-so. i have easy approachable professors, then I have boring professors, then I have one that takes away points for everything that’s not word for word but it all balances out. I also was able to pick a good schedule for next semester so I am happy about that.

c) One thing I would do differently was study more at the beginning of the semester. Those were the easiest test/exams but I kinda slacked off because of the transition. I wouldn’t though change the block or any of my classes and keep them the same. I would have also used the gym and the library earlier because I didn’t even try to go in the beginning.

d) I think I have definitely changed as a person since I started Baruch. I tried my best to approach jobs and internships as well as use Baruch’s resources. Ive also studied way more than in high school, because in high school I didn’t do much and I could match other students who studied more. And also, time management is a big issue, its very important so you know you wont miss anything.

First semester was alright. I think I did well I did all my work I’m expected two As, and A-, a B+ and I think another B+ (it could be higher though I didn’t do the math yet but godwilling its a B+ or higher). It’s a bit weird getting Bs to me, since in high school I was used to getting all As but college is different. You really have to look at how the grades are done. The class I’m getting a B+ in really is an easy A if you think about it, but I slacked off on one of the tests I could have gotten in the 90s or so but found in the 80s. I guess when you think of a class as easy you don’t take it as seriously and then end up with a grade you didn’t really expect.

I don’t think I would do much different except maybe manage my time better… this whole semester was about managing time better… I would have definitely have tried to change my english professor the first day though and get somebody better. I did the best I could do. I do know that I have to like, when I do work say an essay only focus on that essay and don’t multitask and go on facebook. I’ve realized that multitasking takes up a lot of productive time.

I haven’t changed much since starting. I’m still same old Nikki, quiet, shy that’s just my character although I’ve taken more initiative now and maybe more responsible and wiser.