DTE: Surviving College 101

*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.

Who am i?
I’m 17 , was born on 18th Jan 1994, and well honestly that’s all I know about myself, we think we know ourselves the best and we could write an much as we were asked to but now when I am actually writing about myself I’m amazed at how little I know about myself. My name is Amar Kapoor and my previous name was Ksheetiz Kapoor ( bet you can’t say it) , and I changed my name because most people couldn’t say my name and it would take me an hour explaining how my name is pronounced. I’m from India I was in New York from 2000- 2004 and then I went to India and now I came back to NY on July 4th. I think of myself as a good friend I’m always there for my friends whenever they need me however I’m not too good at taking the initiative of talking to a stranger. Back in India almost the entire school was my friend and everyone knew me but when I came to Baruch it all seemed so different. The day I had classes I didn’t know anyone and since it is a commuter school students just attend classes and leave. I wish I lived in the dorms they are cool (sorry I’m going off the topic :P). I’m kind of the guy who acts immaturely to have fun and would do the stupidest things to make people laugh in my high school I was always doing something or the other to make my friends laugh but now I don’t do that because back in India since I knew everyone I was more comfortable with all that.
I think my college experience has been very different from my high school experience. I feel relieved now because I don’t have to study as much as I had to in India. We are taught to be self-dependent in college and our teachers don’t keep on reminding us what to submit. College is more flexible I have joined lexicon; our college’s yearbook and I enjoy taking pictures of most of the events happening in college and meeting new people oh yeah! I forgot to mention I love photography, and im really passionate about it.
I think my main concerns will be making new friends, coping up with college’s grading policies and getting a good grade.
I think the first year of college will have a positive effect on me I will become more knowlegable, will gain more experience, my communication skills will increase and I will be able to socialize easily.

Have you ever had that feeling that your supposed to know someone’s name, but you feel like you’re meeting them for the first time? Since starting college at Baruch, I’ve had this experience on several occasions. This never used to happen in high school. Everyone knew each other, even if they werent close friends. I could walk down the hallway and know something about everyone I encountered. Not true in Baruch. I never really realized how much bigger Baruch’s student population is compared to my high school until I walked in on my first day. It left me with an almost breathless feeling, partly because I didnt see anyone I knew, but mostly because I was unfamiliar with the building, and was kind of lost. I am not a shy person, but im not overly outgoing either. Making new friends isnt too hard for me, but it seemed like everybody already knew each other. Those that came to Baruch with me from my high school were nowhere in sight, and the people that I met in Orientation werent showing up either. I felt like I had been pulled from my comfort zone, and tossed into a new world.

It was a few days before I settled in to the new routine. After a while, I noticed that college had in many ways a better social climate than high school. Even though many people didnt know each other, they are still friendly, and once everybody’s schedules were settled, you find that many of the freshman have the same classes, and have time in between to socialize. I met a lot of cool people, and am having a good time getting to know them. Also, the classes themselves are more interesting, since the basics have been covered in high school. You can also see that everyone is actually trying, because while high school felt like an obligation, everyone knows that what we learn in college will determine out future careers. College is making me do more for myself, since now there isnt an annoying guidance counsellor or teacher pressuring me to get my work done. Everything is on me now. I feel myself becoming a more responsible person, because the stakes are higher. One  of my biggest concerns is that a bad test or missed presentation will ruin my GPA for an entire semester. Another concern of mine is the wide range of classes to choose from. Once all the required courses are done, everyone will be picking different schedules, and taking different classes. In high school, if you were struggling, or missed a homework, there were always friends to help you out. Now, im wondering if there will be anyone to help me if I mess up.

Well, ther is no point in worrying about all this now. So far, everything is going smoothly, and I am hoping it will stay that way. I am not very good at ending essays or blogs, but i guess a decent conclusion would be that overall, Baruch seems a great place to spend four years, and that I am looking forward to the new experiences.

My name is a mashup of my parents’ names: Joe and Ann, and for the longest time, I spent my time trying to run away from this association. They dedicated part of our house to a memorial of my paternal grandparents, as per Chinese tradition, and I rejected all forms of the typical second-generation Asian immigrant culture. They bowed thrice in front of two faded photographs of my grandparents and planted three incense sticks into the ashes in front of them, and I left my house to get to church on time. It was the morning of Chinese New Year. Their offers to drive me to wherever I needed to go became a great way to check up on everywhere I went, and I stayed out later and later. We never had cheese in the house.

I have my dad’s jaw, my mom’s eyes and her “huck-huck-huck” of a laugh, his incredible willingness and curiosity and her devotion and laziness. I have come to take pride in the small bursts of conversations in Chinese that I’m forced to partake in at work, and for all the fights I’ve gotten into with them over staying out too late with my church friends, I’ve grown to become a pretty straight-laced type of person. I am a steadfast friend and a klutz in time management. I am shy and adventurous at once. My temperament changes according to who I’m with; some would say that I am a people-pleaser. I don’t mind.

As I commuted to Manhattan for a rigorous high school as well, I was not very nervous coming into college. I had a huge workload in high school, but it was a different kind. While teachers expected students to produce a certain amount of work each night to make sure we did our homework, it is now up to each individual to stay on top of their reading. This allows more flexibility, but also requires more responsibility. Going to Baruch makes me feel a lot more in charge of my own career, and as a result, I am more invested in making sure I succeed. I’m concerned about how well I’ll network. Many of my close friends are still in the city, so loneliness is not a terrible issue, but I want to make good friends at Baruch, as well as get to know the people around me. It’s difficult when you are not constantly surrounded by them, and it requires a more active effort to maintain friendships, but I think it’s worth it. I’m afraid I’ll fall behind on my work and that I will not be focused enough on finding out what I love to do, but these are all things that are within my control.

All in all, I’m not sure how much my first year at college will change me. So far, it hasn’t been too different from my high school experience, but I hope to take advantage of more opportunities where I can.

Who am I? That is a great question. I like to think I am just a boy. My ID says that I am 18, but my mind tells me I am 12. I make stupid jokes about stupid things, but they are funny. At least I think they are funny. Who else am I?

I am that person you grew up wanting to be.

I am that person who you took a double take of on the subway.

I am Mr. Right.

I am the definition of Possimpible.

I start fashion.

I am the greatest musician in the world.

I am an abstract artist.

I am a crazy good broker.

I am a world-class dentist.

I pay my bills on time.

I know how to pass calculus.

I have been told that I am the Mozart of my generation.

I have an IQ above yours.

I have been called more of a rebel than James Dean.

I was the inspiration for all of the Beatles’ songs.

I am that guy who jumps out of the gym.

I am the reason for everything right in the world.

I am the reason that you have to play a year of basketball in college before the NBA.

I am that guy who you walked in on your girlfriend with.

I am that guy your dad walked in on your mom with.

I am the reason YouTube exists.

I am almighty.

I am being modest.

I have not passed Baruch College though.

I think college will change me a lot. There is a group of people who I have heard too much about. They wear very tight clothes, a scarf, and usually big-framed glasses. They are the dreaded hipsters. Being in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I am in hipster country. I really hope that I don’t become one. I have already started wearing tighter jeans and more upscale clothing. I hope that is all.

Any other ways college might change me? I hope it will change me to be more mature. I enjoy thinking—a lot. I hope that I will be in a position to think deeper. I also really enjoy writing. I hope to continue and become a better writer.

All in all, I’m really looking forward to my college career.

Sometimes I wonder about this. I wonder how people view me, and I want to know what they think. It makes me ponder if I would change myself if I knew what other people are thinking. Am I a bitch that no one wants to be friends with? Or maybe people think that I’m studious and hardworking, and want to be friends with me to use me. I don’t know, and it has been a huge problem for me. Maybe I’m so pretty that the girls are too envious to want to befriend me? (Just that thought reminds me of my best friend from HS; she was always like “Honestly, I think I’m so much prettier that her.”) That’s what my dad said, jokingly, at the start of this semester. All I know now is that all my friends so far, apart from one exception, are male. Of course, I don’t really mind this much, since according to someone, I’m just like a dude who likes to check out other girls (which I totally do NOT do). However, the problem that arises is that I do have a boyfriend, and he is the jealous type. The thing is that I totally understand why he would be. People have told me before that I come off as pretty flirtatious towards both sexes, but that really is just my personality, and so it is understandable that he would feel this way. So, a very immediate goal for me this semester is to make more girl friends! That is much easier said than done, and I am trying.

There is one big thing that really distinguishes the difference between high school and college, and that is that I don’t know anyone at college. There are so many people, and I’m just not used to it. In high school, I knew practically everyone, but here, I’m sometimes lost and alone, with no one to say “Hi” to and no one to walk and talk with. This loneliness often would remind me of times in high school where I wouldn’t have to try and find people to hang out with, and that my boyfriend was there all the time. The biggest transition for me is that my boyfriend is no longer by my side all the time. Now, we have to scrape a few measly hours a day to each other when we were so used to being together pretty much 24/7. I feel like this first year alone without him definitely makes life harder, but it also gives me an opportunity to work on my own and be independent. I don’t want college to change me, since I’m perfectly content with how I am now, and what I want to obtain from attending Baruch is the passageway to internship/job opportunities, and of course, the education. Can’t forget that part, now, can I?

Who do I think I am?  Truth is, I don’t really know.  I have an IDEA…so let’s go with that.  My name is Leandros Katsigeras.  I’m 18 years old.  My birthday is on April 11, 1993, which means I’m an Aries.  I’m not into astrology, but everyone always mentions their signs when they talk about themselves.  I’m Greek (Dad) and Colombian (Mom).  I have a brother, Coco (his real name is Nicholas…but I don’t like it) who is my wing man.  All of this has everything to do with who I think I am.  I’m 18…which to me was the age where I became a man.  It was a time when I put my priorities ahead of me.  I got a full-time job (no more days where I just waste gas and go park-hopping), graduated high school (the fun and games were over…but I’ll always take with me with memories and friendships that I made) and got accepted into college (4 years of hard work that’ll dictate how the rest of my life will proceed).  High school and college…complete opposites.  From my college experience so far, I’ve learned that I’m on my own.  I can’t really depend on anyone but myself to get my work done and really succeed.  Teachers don’t really care about you or your personal situation, your commute or if you’re the nicest kid in the world.  They’re just there to teach and it’s up to us as individuals to decide whether we want to take advantage and learn.  In high school, we were spoon fed everything.  We were given second chances.  We were treated as kids.  Now, we’re treated as adults.  We’re independent.  We choose when to study, how to study, where to go for our breaks, when we want to go to the bathroom or whether we want pizza or stir fry for lunch.  While this is a huge transition, I don’t seem to have any concerns at all.  For the past two years, I’ve learned how to sustain myself.  I know how to study, I know how to make friends, I know how to put in the effort if I want to see results.  The only concern that I have is that I won’t enjoy my college experience.  But knowing myself, I’m social and plan to make friends and join clubs.  All in all, my first year at Baruch will be a great one.  The idea and feeling that I get that I’m on my own and that I’m living my life without the help of anyone else is very self-assuring.  I expect to learn new skills on how to network, new study habits to succeed in any class and how to become even more outgoing to set myself apart from everyone else.  So that’s parts b, c and d.  From my parents and cultures, I learned a variety of values.  I learned that family comes before friends.  If my family needs anything or if we all decide to go out to eat, you know where I’ll be.  Responsibilities….I seem to have more than Spider Man.  Work to save up money, manage my car (gas and repairs), maintain my grades in college, stay in contact with my friends as to not lose my social abilities, take care of my dogs (german shepherds aka wolves aka Rocky and Marco), spend time with my family and most importantly, take care of myself physically, emotionally and mentally.  My parents have taught me everything I know.  The meaning of responsibility came from them.  They’re both immigrants that came here when they were 20.  They barely knew English and had no money.  And they rose to the top and were able to support my brother and I and give us more than we could ask for.  I don’t know how they did it, but if they did it, then so can I.  Also, both my parents taught me about chivalry…so I do consider myself a gentleman.  While I can go on and on about theory and how to treat a woman, I won’t.  It’s way to much for one blog post.  So let’s see…I consider myself a responsible man that is chivalrous as well.  That’s not it though.  I also consider myself humorous.  I love to laugh.  I mean, who doesn’t?  It can make a bad day turn into a good one.  Laughing has the ability to make you like someone.  Laughing can break the ice during awkward moments.  Laughing can unite strangers.  Life’s too short…so I find the humor in everything.  I watch comedy shows, act like a goofball or think of embarrassing moments. If you can make me laugh, then we’re good to go.  FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN.  I’m a fun person.  I love to experience new things or when I’m bored, go with any instincts or cravings.  Whether its going to the park to play with a frisbee, drive to the beach on a cloudy day, mini-golf or try out new restaurants.  I’ll do anything to just get out my house, take in the fresh air and just LIVE.  I’m always down to hang out whenever I’m free.  If you’re in the mood to get Chinese, yogurt or a gyro, I’m the guy to go to.  So, responsible, chivalrous, humorous and fun.  Almost there.  I LOVE to think.  I go to Gantry State Park in Long Island City, the seashore or my roof to just lie down and think.  I can think about colors and how they got their names, relationships of all kinds, religion and its significance, music and it’s ability to soothe or how we’ll only have thumbs after a couple of hundred years because of our addicting texting habits.  Responsible, chivalrous, humorous, fun and thoughtful.  That sounds about right.

P.S.-Shirley, I’m sorry that I exceeded the 500 word count limit…but I couldn’t help myself.