a. Tell us who you think YOU are!
I am currently a freshman at Baruch College hoping to get the most out of this new experience and endeavor of my life! I live in Queens and commute to school everyday – which I’m a little annoyed about at times because it just increases this very special love-hate relationship that I share with the MTA (seriously, how long have they been “fixing” it for?) I think I’m a pretty adventurous person, I love to travel and learn about different cultures, people and traditions. I also like being outdoors and just enjoy a beautiful day. I absolutely hate public speaking with a burning passion because I get so nervous! So I guess that’s definitely something that I’ll have to work on in college, and hopefully studying in Baruch will strengthen me in that area.

b. Share your top 3 concerns about your freshman year at Baruch College and explain why.
1) My number one concern would HANDS DOWN be the exams! Especially since they carry so much weight. I don’t have the strongest study habits – I tend to procrastinate until I absolutely can’t anymore, and always leave studying/cramming till the night before a test. So I hope I can learn to use my time more efficiently, prioritize, and develop better organizational skills.
2) I have the worst sense of direction so even though school’s started for a while now, I still get lost sometimes. Baruch hallways are seriously designed like a maze and I hope I’ll get used to them soon! So arriving to class in time is definitely a main priority. Also Baruch’s policy on absences is kind of CRAZY, so I need to step it up in that aspect as well and make sure I always show up for class.
3) Developing a genuine interest for each class that I’m taking. Even though I know that every class is useful and relevant to whatever major we decide to do in the future, I find myself having trouble focusing in some of the classes, because I don’t feel as engaged or interested, etc. I have to remind myself to be genuinely motivated and dedicated in each class, because that’s how I learn best, and because I know that each class is beneficial, regardless of the format the teacher employs.

c. So far, what do you think will make your Baruch College experience different from your high school experience?
Probably the fact that it’s not as structured and we don’t have a set schedule like high school. In high school we had to be in school for a full day, whereas now we have gaps in between classes where we can leave the facility, run errands, etc. And also how most of our classes (like Psychology for example) are comprised of a couple hundred students. In high school, all classes are on a much smaller scale, and we don’t get to pick the classes we want to take.

d. How do you think your first year at College will change you?
I think that it will enable me to meet great people that I’ll always be friends with, and better prepare me both academically as well as socially for all the challenges in life.

1. How did your community service work help the community?
I went to the Metropolitan Hospital in Harlem to entertain kids as part of a service event for Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity.

2. What were your initial reactions upon hearing that you would be engaging in a community service project?
At first I was a little scared of going to Harlem because it isn’t exactly the safest area, however after we got to meet all the little kids there, I felt really happy to be able to partake in a very meaningful cause. Seeing all their brightly lid faces as we cheered them on, colored with them, and told them stories really made my day.

3. How did it make you feel to give your time and energy to others?
It felt great because aside from contributing and being a part of a great cause, I was able to bond with people that I really enjoy spending time with, and we had a blast laughing and chatting with all the adorable little kids.

4. What did you learn about yourself, the people around you, and the service site?
I learned that if you truly have the heart to be a part of something, you can always contribute and put in a share of effort on your part regardless of how small it may seem. And of course everyone loves free labor, so why not be a part of something worthwhile and brighten up someones day?

5. What stands out as the best and/ or most trying experiences that occurred while engaging in your community service project? What did you learn from these experiences?
It helped me acquire a lot of perspective – especially as I got to see how many of these kids have to spend their days in a hospital and aren’t as fortunate as me, I was reminded to not take anything that I have for granted and reminded of how lucky I am to have been blessed with good health.

6. How did engaging in this project relate to your education and the larger issues in society? We participated in this cause completely out of our own will. The hospital encourages volunteers who are willing to come in and participate somehow in entertaining the patients there. We also brought with us coloring books and crayons and we had a wonderful time with all the kids.

7. How did your community service experience relate to the “Leadership and Service” session?
I learned that there are always available outlets for us to contribute back to the community and do something meaningful with our time. It doesn’t always have to be donating a lot of money, sometimes it is the heart and thought that goes the longest way, and can help someone in need find the inspiration they need to continue striving in life.

8. How has your community service experience changed your thinking, attitudes, and actions towards others, yourself, the community, and community service work as a whole?
As I mentioned above, it helped me gain perspective and helped me see clearer that there are many kids who aren’t as fortunate as I am, and that just a little bit of my time and heart, can go a long way, and that is a wonderful feeling.

9. How has your community service experience impacted you personally? What is the most important thing you learned about yourself throughout this experience?
I learned to be more aware of my community and surroundings and be more aware to give back whenever I have the chance. Now I feel a lot more grateful for everything that I’ve been blessed with in my life.

10. Were you satisfied with your experience overall? Why or why not?
Yes, definitely. Seeing all the kids’ smiles and bright faces as we played with them really meant a lot to all of us.

11. Do you see yourself staying involved in the community during your college and adult years? Why or why not?
I would like to because it is important to give back to the community and make the world we live in a more fair and well-rounded place.

12. Sum up your service-learning experience in a one-two-sentence headline:
Helping out with the community doesn’t require rocket science – it just takes a little bit of heart and dedication.

a. Tell us how your experience at Baruch College has lived up to your expectations? Not lived up to your expectations? Exceeded your expectations?
Coming into college, I was honestly quite nervous – I was nervous about whether I would be able to handle the workload, what professors I would be getting, being able to get good grades, meet new people etc, however coming into Baruch, it’s been surprisingly quite a pleasant and fulfilling experience. I met some great people that I know I want to keep in touch with and I was also able to become more organized and manage my time more efficiently.

b. How well do you think your first semester at Baruch College went?
At first, I would say my biggest challenge was being able to manage my time well – I would constantly be getting caught up doing other things, and before I would realized, I’d be finishing a paper at 4am, and that would affect the quality of my work. So definitely time management is an aspect that I’m still trying to improve.

c. What would you do differently during your first semester if you could do it all again?
I would do more research into the classes I was taking so I wouldn’t be caught off guard as much as I am now with Art History for example.

d. How have you changed since you started at Baruch College?
I have become more responsible and active in terms of finishing assignments in a timely manner and have also gained more confidence with my  public speaking.

Alina Wang
Freshman Seminar

 Sleep

 One of my biggest passions is to sleep. I’ve always thought, wouldn’t it be incredible if sleeping could help you make money? Have you ever met up with one of your friends who are just cranky as heck from the moment you meet them? Chances are, they’re acting that way cause they’re sleep deprived. Sleep is one of the greatest things in the whole world. It always feels great to sleep, no matter how old you are, where you live or what you’re hobbies are—actually like most people, sleeping is probably one of your top favorite hobbies. Sleep is an activity that intertwines us as human beings. No matter how different our personalities are, there’s something that we all share in common—and that is to sleep. I like to think of it as the best gift that Mother Nature’s given us. Regardless of all the bad things that surround us when we’re unfortunately conscious in our daily lives—completing tasks such as homework, writing monologues (HA), tests, work, etc, we can always forget all about them when we finally go to sleep. Sleep is such a babe—it’s like when you see the girl or guy of your dreams walk past you in slow motion on the beach—that’s what sleep feels like to me. And sleeping is also very popular; it’s an activity that everyone loves. Also sleep is wonderful in another aspect because it enables us to have dreams, and dreaming is mostly awesome (except for when you have nightmares of course)

Now its time for some statistics and fancy definitions. Ready?

According to Wikipedia: “Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. Sleep is also a heightened anabolic state, accentuating the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. It is observed in all mammals, all birds, and many reptiles, amphibians, and fish.”

“Furthermore, sleep difficulties are closely associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression, alcoholism, and bipolar disorder. Up to 90% of adults with depression are found to have sleep difficulties.  Hence we should always make sure we get enough sleep. “

So all in all, sleep is great—it’s all encompassing great—it doesn’t come with any twists and turns. As long as you sleep, I guarantee you’ll be a happy camper.