Hey all! I’m 18, graduated Staten Island Tech HS, and spend a lot more time than I wish on the MTA. I came to New York from Russia a few years ago and I believe that played a strong role in shaping my character. Besides expanding my horizons beyond what I thought was possible, the experience has also taught me to appreciate all my opportunities.
I find it bittersweet to finally be in college. While the freedom is indescribable, the responsibilities have piled up faster than I expected. So far I’ve been doing a fair job getting myself to study in classes irrelevant to my goals, but it’s not exactly fun. Another concern is the idea of commuting from Staten Island for the next 4 years. The only solution would be moving closer to Baruch, but that only piles up more bills and with them – responsibilities.
In high school I made the mistake of rushing through the four years without stopping to just appreciate what I had. I definitely won’t repeat this in Baruch – I plan to treasure my time here.
It was significantly easier to strike a balance between school, work, health and a social life in high school. This has proven almost impossible as a freshman at Baruch. However, I plan to overcome this by taking winter and summer classes to lower the course load in Junior and Senior years.
By the end of this year, I hope to finally ditch my procrastination habit or at least come up with a system to control it.
Best,
Konstantin
Hi Konstantin,
Thank you for honesty and insight. Its both appreciated here and in class. I’d like for you to expand on what about moving from Russia specifically shaped your character.
Please continue to not only appreciate but take advantage of all your opportunities and resources – it will help you in more way than you’ll think.
As an undergrad, I found the whole experience to be bittersweet, especially at graduation. However, the sweet times, ALWAYS trumped the bitter ones. And with time, I have no doubt you will be able to find that balance you are seeking.
Commuting can be tough, but try and think of how you can make use of that time. Can you make a photocopy of a chapter to read? Can you brainstorm ideas for your next paper? How can you study?
Thanks again for your post, I look forward to reading the next one!