Freshman Seminar 2011: CFA

1. For the most part, Baruch is exactly what I thought it was going to be. A school where students got a good education for a bargain price, and once class was done an over with, students went their separate ways. Personally, a majority of my time was spent in the library studying or procrastinating on work, or in the gym trying to burn of all of the $1 pizza. I’m not the most outgoing and social person either, probably due to be being an only child, so most of the time I was doing work by myself until I began to socialize more towards the end of the semester.
2.  Overall I feel I could’ve done a better job, grade wise. At the beginning I was still in high school mode and felt I could get nothing less than a B without an ounce of studying. Long story, short, the highest grades I was getting were B’s, but after some time management and getting adjusted to the college system those grades began to increase.
3. Mainly, time management and learning how to balance school among everything else that I do. If I had done that, I would’ve have missed out on easy A’s at the beginning of the semester and then pay for it in heavy study towards the end. Also, I mentioned that I’m not the most talkative and social person, so I would’ve made more of an effort to get to know the rest of the block members cause you guys really are down to earth, which is extremely rare to find nowadays.
4. I would hope to think that I’ve matured as a person, view life differently and make different decisions then I would have. For whatever reasons it may be, entering college makes people, or maybe just me, view things differently; in a more mature and deliberate way. For what reasons? You guess is as good as mine.  But I feel, now, I’m a step closer to figuring out what is it that I intend to do with my life, career wise, and hopefully as the semesters continue and I develop more growth I’ll be a few steps closer in achieving my career choice. As for now, it’s one step, one goal at a time and one wise decision at a time, that’s my overall learning experience from this semester at Baruch.

I don’t remember exactly what I said during the monologue session of class, but I do remember that what we fear as an individual was the main topic and was expressed by the vast majority of us. So what do I fear most in life? For the most part, not
being able to accomplish whatever it is  that I’m trying to accomplish, if that makes any sense at all. In other words, we all have dreams that we wish to succeed in, and have goals, both personal and professional, that we seek to achieve in, and if I’m unable to accomplish those things, whatever it may be, I feel I would have failed as an inspiring man, son, and as a mere person. Of course, we’re all in the beginning stages of our lives, and we haven’t come to a clear consensus on what we’re trying to do with our lives in all aspects; as a person, child, sibling, student and career choices, etc, but my main goal and what I dedicate myself into doing is simply achieving different stages of my life as I get older and more mature. What if I don’t? The thought of that is what frightens me the most.

I suppose Baruch has lived up to my expectations. I honestly was not expecting too much when I came into the school. I knew it was a cuny commuter school and I was not waiting to join a sorority or live in a dorm or go to sporting events like a lot of my friends were looking forward to. All I expected from Baruch was to come to school do my work and go to my job in the city and come home. And that is exactly what I have done so far. Since I didn’t expect much from my college experience, it is kind of impossible for me to be let down.

My first semester has gone pretty decent. I made a lot more friends than i ever expected which I really enjoyed. School work wise, I definitely could have been more on top of myself. I honestly did not push myself at all and just got by doing decent work. My grades have not been bad but they could have been sooo much higher and I could have done a lot better. I also could have focused more in all of my classes because I always end up cramming to learn things on my own at home. If I would do anything differently about this semester it would be to stay focused starting from the first day of school. I would pay more attention in class and take more notes. I would also choose a schedule that did not have any class on friday!

I don’t think I have changed since I started Baruch, i just think there is a big difference in me from high school and now that I am in college. The way I act in school is very different now because I am no longer that social, I just go to class and go home which is very different than how I was in high school.

Coming to baruch made me realize a lot about myself, and not in the way i planned. I realized that i am very different in school then i am at home or with friends. When I am at school i tend to stay by myself majority of the time. During my breaks i sit alone, not because i don’t know how to socialize or don’t have anyone to sit with, but because i want to. I don’t speak up too much in any of my classes unless i have a serious opinion about something. Getting ready in the morning before i leave for school… well yeah that never ever happens. I wear sneaker and a sweatshirt everyday, but with my friends at home they have never seen me in a pair of sneakers. Some days I even wear sweatpants to school if I don’t have to go to work after.

The difference of the person i just explained at school, is that when i am at home with my family or out with my friends i am the complete opposite. I am never quiet and I am always surrounded by people. I go crazy when I am out and even when i am at home i always like to have fun everywhere I go. In my high school i was the same way always talking to everyone and having a good time.

Im not saying the way i act now is a bad thing, it is just different for me. College is definitely more serious and people are there to learn and don’t want to be distracted. I’m not going to try and change the way I act because I am comfortable in baruch the way I am now.

The first semester went by unexpectedly fast. I have to say Baruch has lived up to my expectations. I think that the idea of blocks was a good one for the first semester; it helped us make friends even through a class with 500 people. I know that for myself, in a class of 500 people, it’s very difficult to get to know people, but gladly I was able to make friends both in and out of my blog. Also I believe that joining a club can greatly impact your college experience. Being a part of a club helps u keep engaged and involved in school, especially through the three hours on tues and thurs.

My first semester went really well, for the most part. The professors were fairly okay, and so were the classes. The classes were not difficult and which them fairly easy to balance. I wouldn’t really do anything differently, I feel like the semester was good, my commute isn’t bad and I have actually managed to make friends. College has taught me to be more organize and responsible. I know that I can’t leave my work for the last minute and expect a good grade. I know that I’ve at least become somewhat of a better writer because I am actually trying and have seen that it helps a great deal when you visit professors during office hours.

Overall I think I had a good first semester and am actually looking forward to next semester =)

Starting college at first was boring. I would go to school and only think about what should I do after school. We would get piles of homework that I would blow off until the last minute. Professors weren’t as great as i thought them to be. But that is all in the past. Reflecting on my first semester, Baruch College did fail at fulfilling to my expectations because i thought college would be a more laid back just like in movies. But apparently, it does not exist. Though i thought that college was laid back, i still got a lot of homework to do. There were tests every 2-3 weeks. The tests were the only thing that really bothered me. I thought it would be just writing papers as our finals, but we actually had to study. Having this mindset really dropped my grades in most classes. What did live up to my expectations is that even though we had all this work to do. We still had some free time. I had three hour breaks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays which was a pain and a blessing. Even though there are more cons then pros, college is still kind of cool.

I felt as if my first semester in college could have been better. I was still used to the high school style of doing things where I could wait until the last day to do my projects and papers. In college it was a bit harder to do it just because things were lengthier. I think that going to college is where I have slept the most in class, just because i know the professor does not care that much. I got to know new people and I became close to one too.

What I would have done differently is that maybe I would have studied a bit more. Instead of procrastinating and waited until the night of the test to study. I wished that I did that instead of just relaxing. I got really bad grades, well at least in my standards. I wished that I did not sleep that much in class or to actually read the pages that were given to us every day. There are a lot of things that I wish I could redo but now that the semester is over, I have to face finals that I should have been studying for the whole semester.

How I have changed is that I am starting to think literally and now I am starting to see the importance of studying before hand. College has changed the way it think now and I think that I would be ready to get higher grades now in college. I am now accustomed to the way college works and i feel like now i can actually do well in it. I think that college also has given me more confidence in myself even though nothing happened to make me feel this way.

Well, this is everything about my first semester here at Baruch College.

“Sigh, yet another night that u stay up to 2 o’ clock doing my homework. I don’t get why we are even given homework when the majority of the time, the professor gives lectures?
<phone call: “What! We have another test!? And an essay due on the same day! Argh, thanks.>

College really is a pain. So many more responsibilities that i have to do. For one thing, the professors think we are robots and do nothing but homework. But then again i don’t manage my time wisely. The time i spent last night doing my homework, i spent twice that amount playing games and relaxing. And tests? (laugh) But then again it’s not a laughing matter. I need to start studying. I need to get good grades.

This is too stressful, I need to change. No longer am i able to afford low grades on my tests. No longer am i able to tolerate late nights. No longer am i able to convince myself that everything is going to be fine. I have made many resolutions in my past about changing. TO study more, and don’t procrastinate. But i always ignore it in the end. Maybe its about time I followed it. Change myself to be more studious and maybe I can get others to join me and as a group, survive college. People may ask who am I to make such a claim. Well…

I am a leader, an advice giver, a friend a giver, a procrastinator, a failure. NO!! I need to be positive! I can do this, I can survive this dungeon called College.