LC 04

They say the only opinions that matter are the ones of your own. Well, I guess it could be true when it comes to explaining who we are. I’m someone who never stops talking if I get comfortable around my surroundings. I’m who makes everyone around me laugh because of the silly things I say. I’m also a student with long-term goals, a sister and a daughter with responsibility, and a girlfriend with tolerance. I’m a scary tutor who makes the kindergartners and first graders run the opposite way whenever they see me.  I’m also many other things except a genius, super model, comedian, and the rest of the list of my impossibilities. It’s not easy to define myself when I’m still on the path of searching self identity.

Being a freshman isn’t easy because of adjustment. I’m concerned about my GPA, future classes, and my future friends. My GPA obviously ranks first because I must keep it up to maintain my scholarship. There are classes, such as Anthropology, that I do not work well in. If my GPA is below a certain number, then it would become a big matter that would affect me on the long term. My future classes are also one of my concerns because they’re my building block to success. I’m not sure which class to take first and if they’re suitable for my major. Lastly, who would be influencing me in the future? Friends are important because they take part in shaping who you become, I hope I won’t make the wrong choice by joining a wrong crowd.

Many things about Baruch sets itself apart from high school. In high school, I was surrounded with the same faces and activities from September to June. In Baruch, there are fresh faces everyday for me to look at, and I love the amount of events that different clubs host. My first year of college would definitely help shape me into a more independent person. Also, college would also change me physically because of the innumerable places to eat around!

Hello, my name is Donghan Kim. It hasn’t been that long time since I came abroad from Korea. So I am unfamiliar with America now. I want to study English. I want to know more about America. I want to achieve my ultimate goal in USA. My goal is to become a successful businessman. I am an active person so I like to get close to people. I also like sports and listening to music. I want to do lots of activities in college.

There are three concerns at Baruch college. The first one is my GPA. I heard that GPA is very important. I am not that good in English so I am very worried if I can keep up with the classes. The second one is about the communication with people. With my English skill, I can’t easily talk to the people other than Koreans. My last one is about my future. I am worried if I can get a good job after I graduate college. I hope that I can resolve these concerns.

I think there are differences between in high school and in college. There were ESL classes in high school so I could follow the classes easily. However, there are no ESL classes in the college. In Baruch college has less class days than in high school but the subjects in college are harder than the ones in high school.

I think the first year at Baruch college will change me into a better student. The reason is that I have to focus more on studying so I can improve my English skills. To get the job in the future, the stuff learning in college is very important to me. So I feel that studying in college will make me into a good person.

Hi, everyone, my name is Juntao Jiang. Im from queens. In class, i dont talk much because i dont like to talk in class. it might depend on my personality. Actually, im a outgoing boy but it depends on how deep i know you, if i dont know you well, i might not talk to you that much. when i get to know you, you will find out i really can talk.

First of all, i think the level of learning knowledge is harder than before. the word of what teachers taught is totally harder. sometimes i even dont understand what teachers talking about. Secondly, the earliest class starts at 7.45. that means i have to get up at 5.30 and take bus and train to get to school. It is too hard for me to get up that early. Last one which is my grade, depending on my silly knowledge, it is so hard to improve my grade. it is a terrible thing if you fail in the first term.

The differernt between college and high school i think is the way of teaching. In high school, teachers will teach you carefully and patiently. he will use his free time or class time to let you understand what exactly he taught, but in college,teachers will not. they just finish the lesson and leave, thats their jobs. and they only have like half and hour to see you. and there is not only you that wants to see the prof.

i think the first year of college will change me a lot. because it is a brand-new start. it will totally change my life because a good start will have a good end. even in the beginning of this year, i have to overcome many problems that i have never met it.  and i really need to focus on my lesson, i believe i will be successful in the end of this year.

Hey guys, I’m Vivian. I’m 20 years old, female, as you may know.

Ummm…I really like the first question Farzana asked, “who you think you are”. I like it because it is one of those questions that would make you feel like “what kind of question is that?”, but then you start to think about it. And eventually you will come up with a lot of answers. I think my answer would be…I’m just a creature on the earth? Just kidding. Physically, I’m a female, and I believe I mentioned it before; racially, I’m Asian; however, meanwhile, I’m Asian-American culturally. So it is hard to tell who I really am. I came to theUnited States4 years ago, but I’ve been sick since May, 2008.Therefore, I went back toChinaand had been stayed there for 2 years. I came back last year and finished my high school. Although I’m a freshman, I guess I’m the “oldest” one in class. (Sucks, doesn’t it?) I’ve been through a lot since I was sick and you can’t imagine how desperate I was at the beginning. However, after staying in different hospitals and seeing different kinds of patients, I changed a lot and became stronger and stronger. Since this is my life and I couldn’t do anything to change it anyway, why not just take it easy and enjoy everyday when I’m alive? That’s me, an extremely optimistic girl.

I do have some issues to concern at this moment. The first and also my biggest problem is my major. I have no idea what to choose right now. And it makes me feel worse when almost all my friends already have their goals and some of them are even making their efforts to achieve the goals. I’ve been thinking about it all the time but never really figured it out. My second concern is about the balance between my health and my study. I need to sleep before 10pm every night in principle, but it is almost impossible for every college student. I’m one of those people that can only concentrate at night, so it means when I’m at my best condition I have to go to sleep. I still have no idea how to solve this problem. Besides that, I am also worried about transferring out. Since my major is undecided yet and also I don’t really like business, I’m thinking about transferring to another school. However, just because I have no idea about my major, I don’t know where should I transfer to. All those things always make me feel like I’m standing at a crossroads and don’t know where to go. I’m so confused.

Up till now, I think I really love my college life. It is completely different from my high school life. Maybe it is because I went to high school after I just came here. For me, the whole environment was so unfamiliar so basically I had no friends. I went to school, sat in the class, took notes, and went back home everyday. My life was boring and meaningless. After I came to college, I felt everything changed. I made a lot of friends, we spent time together, joined the same club. My life had never been so busy before. “Busy as hell”, that’s the way I used to put it. But anyway, I really like being busy, and the most important thing is I do love my friends. (Can’t tag you guys here. J) So I really think my college life changed me, or is changing me. Before I came here, I was a very outgoing and sociable person; but then I just became quiet. Right now, I feel like I am the person who I really am. And being myself just feels so good. Hope that this kind of life could last longer and my friends and I could always be together.

Hello, my name is Xing Lan Mei. I always get called lazy by my friends because all I like to do is eat, sleep, shop, watch movies, and hangout with my friends. I like to do things that do not require too much thinking and concentration, that’s why I really dislike studying and reading books.

My first concern is time management; homework and textbook readings are piling up day by day, and I always wait till the last second to finish them. I always end up not getting enough sleep but have to wake up real early the next day for the morning classes. My second concern is to pass all my classes with a good grade. I am really scared of failing anthropology because for like almost 6 weeks, I still have no idea what the class is about. My third concern is to make more new friends because they are the ones that keep college life exciting and fun.

My Baruch College experience is different from my high school experience because in Baruch, we’re actually treated like adults. You don’t have to worry about getting caught by deans because you’re using your cell phone and laptop in class; teachers won’t force you to copy notes and do homework; you don’t have to ask for permission to use to bathroom. I think my first year in College will change me to a more mature person who takes more responsibilities for myself and others.

First of all, who I think I am. I am a 19-year-old teen and attending to Baruch College. I like basketball and play guitar which I just fall with. My hometown is Wenzhou, China and I love her. I hope I can graduate from college in four years.

First thing I concern about is how to improve my grade. If I fail I can’t graduate on time and waste a lot of money. The low grade is not good for the graduation. The second thing is I hope I can make more friends. Now I only get a few friends in the college. The last thing is how to choose class next term. The program I have right now is so damn hard. I am afraid I am going to fail the political science and antropology class.

The biggest different between the college and high school is the break time. In high school I only got 4 mins break. In college I get 25 mins between classes and 2 hours for lunch. No one can have a 2-hour lunch. So the most of time, I am blanking out. And the liberary is weird, every time I come out the alarm will alarm. That embarrass me.

After the first year at college, I believe I will become stronger and wiser. Because of the reading my short-sight eyes may being worse. I will become mature. During the first year at college I will learn to adapting college life. I hope the liberary will stop against me!!

            Hello, my name is Taemin Hwang. I never really thought about who I am, but I would define myself as someone very easy going with basically everything. There are only few things that would anger me or make me serious. I can be very outgoing if I choose to be but in school, I try to act serious because I would like to focus on my studies.

            My first concern is to keep my GPA up, it is already almost two months into college life and I felt that it is going to be difficult to keep up with the materials in each class just because there are so many things to memorize. My second concern is to break my lazy habits that I always had. I know I kept making promise to myself every year to not be lazy but it is difficult to break my habbit. I always tend to do things last second. My third concern is to make good friends. I don’t want to make many fake friends but make few true friends in college. Since my closest friends left NY for college, I would like to make good friends in Baruch.

            Baruch experience is different from my high school because of its freedom. I started living by myself, starting the college year and there is so much freedom that I can enjoy. Even in college, there are freedoms, unlike high school classes where teachers try to make you work, in college, it is upto you to follow up with the classes by reading privately. At first, I was only excited about having these freedom but now, I’ve realized that the freedom comes with great responsibility.

           My first year at college will change me to someone who can manage time and be more responsible. I’ve realized that in order to survive in college, I need to manage my time in orderly fashion. I need to do things until the due dates and read materials by the due dates. In college, it is all about time management.

My name is Zhuyao Chen, English name Brandon. If you ask me who I am, I will say that I am just a normal college student. I came to America four years ago and finished my high school here.
As a freshmen, surely I got many concerns about my school life. My first concren is that I am worry about my grade. I heard people said that it is important to get a high GPA in freshmen year because once you get a low gpa it is hard to bring it up. I am not sure that whether I can do it or not. I cam eto USA just four years so my english is not so good, I hope I can follow every course, I hope I can try my best to get a good grade.
My second concren is that can I make friends in college. I am kind of shy so I never talk to people until they come and talk to me first. Friends are important in our life, so I hope I can make more good friends.
My third concren is that since I got English 2100T, I need to get up so early, sometime I am late for 5 mins so I have to wait 10mins for the next subway. I hope I can get used to the early class.
I think the difference between high school and college is that I need to spend time to study by myself in college. In high school I can just listen to the teacher only in class and still get a good grade. But in college what I learned in class is not enough, I need to go home and spend time to study. That is a huge difference.
I think my first year will change me a lot. I need to focus more in study . I think I will improve my english. I also think that I will become more outgoing. I may also overcome my laziness a little bit. Anyway, first year is a good beginning.

Umm.  Who I think I am?  My name is Lingyu Rui, you may know me as Lillian, I am…

I am a very outgoing Chinese girl, even though I used to take many deep breathes before I tried to talk with others.  I hate to be lonely but sometimes I need to stay by myself.  I am usually amiable but sometimes I can be very stubborn… I love life and I believe the width of life is much more important than the length of it…I, am who I am.  I am not beautiful, I am a little overweight, yet I don’t want to diet, I still love myself.

During these two months, I met many great friends in my life.  These friends include my classmates in this learning community, and also many juniors and seniors from the club.  My first concern as a freshman is to maintain a high GPA.  Since I was accepted by Baruch as a dean’s scholar, a 3.25+ GPA is mandatory for my registration privilege and my scholarship.  Secondly, I want to pass my first Actuarial Science Exam- P- Exam by the spring of next year.  Therefore I have to put much more efforts on my math class and study more outside of the school.  Finally, I want to be involved into school events, I want to participate in these activities as many as possible.  However, I need to spend more time on study than participating in clubs.

Studying in Baruch College really changed me a lot.  Basically my personality is totally changed since high school.  I used to be shy and timid, but now I am outgoing and more insane… I tried to be who I am regardless of my poor English speaking skill, I tried to be who I am even though the language issue may sometimes make me feel inferior and helpless.

I hope I can be stronger in this year.  I hope every effort I put on in this year would be paid off someday.  I don’t want to lock myself in my comfort zone anymore.  I want to see the world and I want to say and talk.  I want to hear and listen.  I hope I can be who I am after the training of this first year experience in Baruch College.

Hello, everybody!!My name is Chuyun Huang but you probably won’t recognize this name because people usually call me Wendy. I think of myself as a very normal Taiwanese teen that happens to be studying in Baruch College.Well, if you want to learn more about me, I would say that I am a very out-going, talkative, and fun-loving person. I like to try new things, I like to laugh out loud, and I really enjoy spending time with my friends who make me laugh and laugh and laugh.

My first concern for my first semester here in Baruch is not being able to reach a high GPA like everyone said I should, I understand that it will be difficult to pull up your GPA in later semesters, but I don’t know how to achieve this goal since some of my professors don’t even make sense to me. And that’s where my second concern comes in, right now, I am struggling in my anthropology and math class, and the reason I am struggling is because I simply do not understand the materials, as if they taught us things are from outer-space, and I just don’t get them! Finally, my last concern is that I don’t have a specific major yet, I know this is my own problem, so hopefully I can figure out what to major in by the end of this semester.

To this point, I think college and high school are two different worlds. College is definitely more difficult and you can feel the pressure just looking through the syllabus. On the other hand, high school, and I am referring to my senior year, it was just a place where you go, sit around all day doing nothing. So for me, I definitely enjoy my college life better, and I think the best part is that you have more freedoms and people treat you like adults, not kids.

I think/I hope my first year college experience will change me into a better person, someone who is smarter, more mature, and above all, more clear about one’s future.