Surviving College 101 Section: FTA

“Who do you think you are?” I think I am a follower of my dreams. If my life is without a dream, I may feel like my soul is taken away from me. College offers the opportunity for me to discover my dreams and also to help me to reach them.

My top three concerns about freshman year at Baruch are: my grades, finding new friends and improving my English. I am most concerned about my grades. I expect to pass all of my courses, and not get dismissed from the college. I also expect that my first year at Baruch will be very exciting. I look forward to gaining more confidence as my studies progress. Another thing I care about is friendship. Baruch is a new environment for me right now, so I hope to meet new friends so we can have fun, learn, and also support each other if we are feeling down.  I also want to improve my English. I have been in the United State for 4 years, but my English have not really been reflective of it. I hope to have great progress with my English during my first year.

There are a lot changes happening around me every day. I feel like I am maturing and growing more and more every day.  I also found that college involves more work and responsibility.  In high school the teachers were micro-managers, making sure we did our homework or took notes during the class. In college, I find the need to motivate and manage myself in order to complete my assignments. Unlike high school, it’s motivating to see that everyone at Baruch seems more serious about their studies, and are working very hard. At first I felt bored with so much free time. Each day I just sat around waiting for the time pass then go to the next class. Finally I began to take the time to go to the library with my classmate. We found that most everyone in the library were focused on their studies. This was motivating to us, so we sat down, took out our own books, and began to study. The library atmosphere forced us to be productive between classes.  It made the time seem to fly by, and we forgot about being bored.  One of the great aspects of Baruch that I found is that there are many resources that we are privileged to have access to.  The college not only has a great library, but also a computer lab and writing center and some other tools.  These resources are very helpful to my studies and college experience. There are also many activities offered at Baruch.  These activities can help me to develop my interests in other areas, offering me the opportunity to be a happier and more well rounded person.

I think my first year of college will change me because I will begin to improve my writing and communication skills. I will also meet new friends, and at the same time I will get onto the right path toward my dream.

          I am a student. I am a ordinary student at college who is trying to discover the different possibilities in life. I am a sister. I give my little sister my care and help whenever and wherever. I am a daughter. I give my full attention to what my parents has to say and try to reach to the goals that they have set for me. I am a friend. I sit patiently and listen to the stories and problems that a friend has to share. Who do I think I am? My answer would be that I have several different roles in life, but all of them makes me who I am.

          Freshman year at college is the hardest time because it is difficult to adjust to the new surrounding. There are several concerns I have about myself for my freshman year at Baruch College. First, the academics is my biggest concern. The way classes progress and the ways professors teach concerns me the most. It is hard to tell if what I am doing is right or what I am doing is the way that it should be as a college student. GPA is a important part of college and I hope to be able to have a good start in the academics. Second concern would be getting accustomed to the college life. College is a different stage in life, several adjustments has to be made in order to fit in and flow with the others. Third Concern would be meeting new people. I hope to meet and learn about different people in Baruch but it is difficult because Baruch is a commuter school. I hope to find a balance between school life and social life.

          College offers a lot of independence and freedom. Independence and freedom are great way to adjust to the adult life, but being an adult means that I would have to manage myself properly or else I will be the one to take all the responsibilities for failing to complete my requirements. In high school, there are always someone there to remain you of what to do and what should you do. In college, it is all about self-dependent and self-discipline.

          I think the first year at college will change me into someone who is more independent and mature. College allows me to learn how to manage my time and use them wisely, and learn about the different opportunities that college has to offer. I am excited to find out what the college has to offer and to discover the endless possibilities.

      Among 7 billion people all over the world, I’m just like a small ant on one leaf, which flows in the broad ocean without ending. Sometimes, I experience some “storm”, but no matter how hard the situation is, I still believe that, there will be one day, when I find my own ideal place to land.     

     “Who do you think you are?” This is a hard question to answer. People usually can’t see their own portrait rightly. To be honest, I don’t believe there is a perfect person in the world, and of course, I’m not a flawless person either, especially, I have strong feeling of jealousness, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing to have, because that always inspires me to improve to the same level as others whom I’m jealous with.

       Time surely goes by fast. 2 years ago, I’m still a little girl in China, who is wondering around, and do nothing, depending on parents, teachers and friends, but now I’m in America, the country with freedom, but the only one you can count is yourself. During the two years, what I have learned is not only the language, but the ability to live independently in society. Maybe sometimes, I fell lost and confused, but everything will work out in the end.

        As a college student, it’s just as hard as I imagine, the way you behave has to be more mature, and things you have to concern are also much more than in high school.  First, making friends are might not as easy as you think. I want to make a lot of friends who are from different countries all over the world; this is the goal that I didn’t accomplish during my high school year, because of the language barrier. I’m still worried about that now, but I will try, and I believe that I will accomplish someday, because there 4 years left after all, time is enough. Second, the way of teaching in college is really different than high school. There is no one who will help you hand by hand anymore or pages of notes on the board for you to copy. You have study by yourself, and taking notes by listening. Actually, I still can’t fit in this kind of situation very well now, but I will try to fit as soon as possible, because there are some tests coming up soon, I may fail the test though.  Third, the writing skill problem has bothered me for a long time, and plus there are so many paper works and essays need to do in college,  so I have to work harder to improve it, maybe I will go find some help from the Wring Center someday.

       Still, there are so many concerns about college, but I believe this is also a great chance for me to jump to a brand new level of life; maybe it’s going to be a turning point. Anyway, college life just start, there are still many unknown things to explore, and I’m also looking forward to it.

College life, fighting!