DTE: Surviving College 101

My first semester in Baruch College is almost over and the only thing left is to review for finals. Throughout the first semester, the biggest challenge is to overcome my laziness. Whenever my teacher have assigned some long readings or asked me to write some paper, my laziness would always say to me “you still have tomorrow to finish them”. Although I have eventually finished most of the works on time, each day I went to bed later and later. It makes me realize that time management is so important in College and laziness must be changed. Otherwise I won’t be able to have any free time to spend with my friends. In September I was expecting to speak up in class and to make more foreign friends; now I’m working on it. I believe that in order to get more friends other than Chinese, I have to get use to speak English with my parents and even with my Chinese friends. The fact is that I haven’t done my best in the first semester. If I could retake this semester, I believe I would have done things differently with a better attitude. Now finals are coming and what I should is to study really hard and to avoid getting lazy again. After this semester I have realized what it means to be a college student, and I look forward to my next semester and hope to make improvements everyday.

my first semester at baruch was definitely memorable. my entire block got really close with each other, and we created a bond that cannot be broken. The whole transition from high school to college went really smoothly. I definitely enjoy college life better than high school life because of the freedom, but I know that college is definitely tougher academic-wise. I regret a lot of things i have done during this semester but it seems a little too private to mention on this blog post lol. I met the girl of my dreams in college as well, so i would like to thank baruch for giving me the oppurtunity to meet her and to find the one that makes me happy =]. I dont think ive changed at all during the whole first semester though. In high school ive always been the type of guy to have a big sense of humor and was really caring, and in college, i’m still the same Austin. I love to bring happiness and joy towards the people that are around me. I struggled a lot in the beginning of the semester because of a fraturnity, but ever since leaving that kind of life, ive been doing a lot better in school, and i havent looked back since. So my grades are starting to pick up a lot and i couldnt be happier. I’ve been working really hard at work also, harder than i usually work, because ive been wanting to obtain a promotion. Ive worked at the same place for about 4 years now, and am looking to expand and to achieve a higher status. I had fun memories being in this freshman seminar class also, and i definitely wont forget it.

First semester is nearly complete except for the finals. I think right now my situation is really terrible because obviously I have not yet prepared for anything since I’m such a stupid procrastinator.  If you ask me how I have changed since I started college I would say I did not change at all as my procrastination routine is just inborn. I don’t know why I cannot change that. I did not have much expectations since the beginning. I knew that I would just mess up with everything. If I could do it again I might probably would not change anything since the thing that I actually have to change is my bad routine. Indeed I have to fix my mind and really fix myself. Motivation was gone since.. I dunno when,  but I’m sure it was before college. My mind is getting more completed and there are so many problems other than school. There are lots to fix and everything just annoys me so much. Perhaps I am being a little bit cynical here. (or because I don’t know what to write?) Anyway I hope that everything will be better when the second semester starts. I just could not wait for the long holiday. I need a break to deal with the problems, and deal with myself. So yea, good luck to everyone.

I always expected college to leave me inundated with work, but I’ve only been semi-drowning at most.  The transition left me pulling a few all-nighters and if I could do anything differently, I would go back and manage my time better.  Overall, I’m the same person with some newfound hatred for public transportation and people who walk too slow, but I’ve met so many people different from myself and that has changed my perspective.  I think my first semester went as planned—I have all of my grades where I want them to be, except calculus of course, but that’s a readily lost uphill battle. I always joke with my mom that I’ll end up transferring during sophomore year like she did, but so far I can see myself completing my degree at Baruch.  Only time will tell.

If you are keeping up with my blogs, you may remember that I pretty much had a bad feeling about Baruch. Well….I pretty much have most of those feelings still, but a lot of it has changed.  For example, although I was worried about making a lot of friends in college, I’m fine with the few close friends I made whom are also in most of my classes.  A few weeks ago, scheduling began for the Spring Semester, and I was kind of upset that I’m not in the same classes with most of my friends.  It makes me wonder what our relationship will be like after Spring.  I’ve recently been going to the library the past week every day after class to study for upcoming finals in a last minute effort to boost my grade.  I took the elevator to the top floor where it’s less crowded and more quite.  When I got to the top, I saw a few kids from my Calculus class.  I’ve been going there every day and meeting more of the Macaulay kids. I never thought that the LIBRARY is where I would make friends, nor did I ever think that THAT’s the place we would hang out. I envy the group for not getting into the program (which I still don’t understand why because I did better than a lot of them in high school), but also because they have a really close bond with each other.  Their personalities all blend together with each other, which makes it fun and easy for me, as an outsider, to converse with them.  It also made me realize that Calc was the only class that I had that didn’t have 100+ students, so I’m getting a little upset that it’s almost over and I may not see the rest of those classmates again.  If I could do first semester over again, I would go to the library more to study after class.  What need to I have to go home right away? Just to watch TV?  I know I can do better in school, but I just want some kind of inspiration/ motivation to keep my grades higher.  I have SOOO much reading for my classes to do and my super duper long commute doesn’t make it easier for me to get work done.  Between school, sleep, commuting, and the very little amount of homework that I do, I don’t have time for much extra studying because I MUST set aside at least an hour a day to ME TIME, where I can just watch TV and relax.  Most people would say they have changed in college.  I can’t really say that I have.  I’m still the same slacker who has had senioritis since 11th grade.  I still make people laugh all the time, which is my daily goal.  I might say the only thing different is that, I’m keeping a bit more facial hair, and spending a lot more money.  I’m worried about next semester.  My schedule is spread out, I have more and harder classes, I will still be commuting, and I won’t have Fridays off anymore.  I need someone who has been in my position or knows me well enough to tell me I will be fine and I will do well.  More importantly….I need to believe them.

Well my experience at Baruch College wasn’t exactly as i had to picture it to be back in August. I knew what I was getting myself into with my education but with Baruch being a commuter school I didn’t think time and assignments would wind down on us so fast. It feels like 3 weeks ago we were beginning our journey into college and with finals week coming up It’s all about finishing off strong. I feel as grades wise I could’ve done much better but I think I did alright, what I would do differently is interact with more of my peers build relationships and connections. I feel as I have changed for the better ever since I started school at Baruch because I now see how hard work pays off and how being persistent gets you the A in school.

I don’t really have much to say about whether my experience at Baruch lived up to my expectations or not. I didn’t really have any major expectations before coming to Baruch, except for the usual “lots of reading and papers.” I just viewed it almost as a continuation of high school. So I don’t really have much to say in this area. Though I will say that I miss gym class. That’s about the only thing that disappointed me the most about college. I had tons of fun during gym class in high school; now, I can only reminisce about those times.

I think my first semester at Baruch went pretty well. I got decent grades, but just not as good as I would like them to be. But finals week is coming up: one last chance to redeem myself?

I think I will work a little bit harder to get perhaps slightly better grades if I could do this all over again. But whom am I kidding? I know that I’ll still slack off. And maybe I would join a club. It’s near the end of the semester and I still haven’t gotten to doing that yet.

I really honestly don’t think I’ve changed at all. Or maybe now I’m willing to spend more time doing schoolwork, but I think that’s about it. Nothing major happened during the first semester that would’ve changed me.

The college life in Baruch College is just what I have expected before I entered Baruch College, I have lots of assignments and essays to complete, meeting new people and many final exams or essays to prepare in only one week which is shortening my life span right now. For first semester, I think I am doing alright. I am doing decent in most of my classes, I got used to hours of commuting which was really painful about 3 month ago and I also got used to be squeezed by crowd. If I get chance to redo first-semester year, I would study harder to get better grade than what I am receiving now and I also would drop one of my classes because I now regret about not dropping one class. I have not changed at all since I entered Baruch College. Some of my friend has said that when a person enters a college, they become more “adults”, but I feel like I am still in high school and I do not feel all the responsibility that college students should have. I hope remaining years in college would make me more mature.

This semester has been pretty routine. After the initial week or so getting used to the college format, things got boring. You hear about freshman 15. Try freshman 30. You think amazing frat parties and thursday nights out. Try two hour commutes, little to no friends, and 11 o’clock bedtimes. I wonder when college became to mundane. Maybe its time to add some variety. Maybe I should join that fraternity. Maybe I should stop heading straight home. The thing is, even if I tell myself to hang around, my significant other wishes otherwise.
“Be home soon!””When do you get back today? 6? Why so late?””Have lunch with me on Fridays. You don’t have class anyway.””Fine, go hang out with your friends. Just don’t bother me when I’m with mine. Oh, now you don’t want to? It’s either one or the other; you have to choose”
Why not both? Why not all? Why not???
They’re all the same problems since day one. I can’t bring myself to say no. I guess I’m just a bit afraid.
People say “Why did you choose to stay in NY for your boyfriend? That’s so stupid.” Maybe it is. Who knows? But now that I am here, I plan opn making the most out of it. So what if all my friends are male? So what?
When I say that I wish it were the end, it reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend. I just want to fast forward to graduation. I want to fast forward to whatever I want to be.

It is now towards the end of the semester. i didnt do much. to be honest there was a lot of feeling around at the beginning of the year, kinda like in fights where you dont really engage but try to figure out how strong your opponent is. the classes arent bad at all in terms of difficulty, but my rise in laziness has risen to new extremes.

i m scared. if i stay here at baruch for too long, i see myself just skipping class everyday. My motivation to work has plummeted to new depths. i guess when you grow up what institutions lack in inspiration you’re supposed to make up for through discipline and a need for money in the future.

i miss having PE class. i feel weary sometimes, i think its my lack of activity lately but maybe its the weather too. in Heroes the tv show i saw a bunch of japanese business men all go outside in the middle of the day to do some mandatory excersize. seems like both a nice and dreadful idea. idunno.

baruch has its charms, not many, but it has its charms. the building itself continues to amaze me (vc not 23rd cuz 23rd is shit). the people here are decent. classes are decent. professors are decent. a whole lot of mediocracy is what i m seeing but theres a lot of opportunities here too.

heres to hoping i can get out there and make next semester even better.