Monthly Archives: October 2011

Baruch College has exceeded my expectations in every way I thought possible. It has provided me with both a great education at an affordable price and the opportunity to network with hundreds of new people. I’m extremely glad that I made the choice to come here for my first year of college, as it has really set me on the right path and mindset that I wish to retain for the rest of my life.

So far, my first semester at Baruch seems to be going pretty well. My grades so far are more or less where I want them, and time management seems to have gotten a bit easier over the past couple of months. No longer do I procrastinate as much, and I seem to have gotten ahold of my organization skills. I’m also improving upon completing my objective list, and no longer is it piling up as goals are finally being crossed out.

If I could redo my first semester, I think I would have tried to join more clubs and spent a little more time on internship searching. However, it is never too late for me to accomplish both of these goals in my second semester, so I’m not too worried about them yet.

As I said, my procrastination skills have greatly decreased and I am a lot better at managing my time now and sleeping at regular times of the night. I am a lot more focused on my education and getting the grades I want, and I am honestly much more prepared for whatever obstacles college may throw at me, than I was before my first semester. I am excited to continue my education here at Baruch in my second semester, and extremely eager to see what the future holds for me.

Name: Alex Tong

Freshman Seminar Course #: LC06

Name of Community Service Organization: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

1. By uniting people all over the country, this organization helps raise both awareness and funds to support the battle against breast cancer. Since the start of the organization in 1993, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer has raised more than $400 million from these walking events and donations.

2. I was really excited to hear that I would be participating in community service. I have volunteered at several organizations before including NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, St. Francis Xavier Soup Kitchen, and Our Lady of Czestochowa School, so community service was not too new to me. It is something that I enjoy and something I believe all students should take part in, in order to give back to their communities.

3. Helping others and devoting my time to a good cause is something I really enjoy doing. It gives me satisfaction and happiness, knowing that I devoted my time to something that will go to help someone in a drastic way.

4. I learned that we were all there to genuinely help those in need. A lot of the people helping out were volunteers, and I was extremely surprised by the amount of people that showed up to help that cold Sunday morning. Seeing so many numbers, really makes you think about how many people actually care, and it just makes you really happy seeing so much good in the world, let alone New York City.

5. The best experiences were giving high fives to the walkers who seemed so enthusiastic about the cause in such cold weather at such an early time. I also got to see a lot of old friends and teachers from high school who were participating in the walk, so it was a lot of fun. I learned in Central Park that even with so much evil in the world, there seemed to be so much good in one place.

6. Making the most at a commuter school is all about making relationships with other students and helping each other along the way. Helping each other is what Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is all about. Society needs to realize that if we were to all participate in helping each other throughout our daily lives, the world would be such a better place.

7. Our community service experience was all about “Leadership and Service.” By taking the initiative in taking part in service, we are acting as leaders in society and in our school communities, encouraging others to do the same. This initiative is what starts movements all over the world throughout history.

8. This community service experience hasn’t changed me that much. Like I said, community service has always been something I enjoyed and participated in. It was a bit exciting to participate in a new form of community service, helping out outdoors during a walk, but my attitude towards helping the community in general hasn’t changed much. It will remain something I will do and enjoy for the rest of my life.

9. Community service in general has impacted me by making me a more caring person. I feel that if everyone were to partake in helping the community out, the world would be such a better place. The most important thing I’ve seemed to learn about myself from starting community service back in high school was that giving back to the community is a necessity required by all human beings. It is the way the communities works, and it is what makes the world turn.

10. My experience was very satisfying. I felt that my learning community made quite an impact on the walkers, especially since we were sectioned by the starting line.

11. I’ve been involved in community service since my Freshman Year in high school, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t continue giving back to my community and my world in both college and after college.

12. Community service experiences help volunteers realize that each helping hand goes a long way in making the world a better place, one person at a time.

My experience at Baruch College has definitely lived up to my expectations. Not only have I learned a lot about the business I want to work in, I have also found dozens of clubs all with their own special cultures and goals. The vast majority of clubs represents the diversity within Baruch; there are students with different career goals, life goals, national origins, and hobbies that create and run clubs to make Baruch the place that it is.

I think that my first semester at Baruch College went very well because I was prepared for all of the classes I needed to take. I will plan my schedule in accordance with my future career, and I have joined a few clubs that have people who share my interests. If I had to start my first semester over again, I think I would join more of the freshman events, and try to get to as many club meetings as possible as long as they were giving out free food.

Since I have started at Baruch College, I have learned how to balance a lot of different tasks in a day. I always have something I need to do when I get home, then there is my homework, club work, and my job. It was a learning experience, though it its definitely worth it, and I could not have enjoyed it more.

I like how I don’t care how small I am

I dislike how shy and quiet I can be

I play the role of a mentor, role model, and the future of my family

Jackie Robinson showed me theres different ways to be a leader

Rockin’ Jordans and going to concerts make me extremely happy

I’m afraid of losing my memories

I felt really ashamed in my first boxing match,

I gave up and threw in the towel,

It was then that I vowed to never give up on something I believe  in.

You’re telling me there’s work to be done. I’m telling you I don’t want to do it. You insist. I show you it’s already done.  I love surprising people, I love being efficient. I am the person who likes to get things done, a perfectionist to the core, and with the adaptability of a chameleon. I’m the one whose sarcasm took you two thoughts to understand. Before you fall over laughing. Prankster. Naughty girl. Nerd. Super-polite girl. Brat. Friend. Know-it-all. I’m just “that other kid”. But you’ll look at me twice. For good, or for bad.

I don’t think you care what I like or don’t like. Whether I grew up in Manhattan, Queens or Bronx. Whether I have siblings. My favorite color, and taste in music doesn’t matter either.  I really, and stress that really, don’t like small talk. For now, you want to know; will you get along with me? What impression did I give? Do you want to continue the conversation? Am I right? Do you?

Name: Gartim Li

Freshman Seminar Course #: LC06

Name of Community Service Organization/Activity: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

1. How did your community service work help the community? I encourage the runners. They ran for Breast Cancer victims.

2. What were your initial reactions upon hearing that you would be engaging in a community service project? After spending years in High school as a volunteer, I regret saying I did not feel unusual warm bursts of pride, adrenaline for the unknown or anything dramatically special. However, I knew I would enjoy it.

3. How did it make you feel to give your time and energy to others? I was happy I could help.

4. What did you learn about yourself, the people around you, and the service site? It’s very cold.

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? Getting the emotions of support across. I really want them to know we are there to support them, and what they are doing.

6. How did engaging in this project relate to your education and the larger issues in society? We should support each other in times of need.

7. How did your community service experience relate to the “Leadership and Service” session? We see leaders.

8. How has your community service experience changed thinking, attitudes, and actions towards others, yourself, the community, and community service work as a whole? Not exactly.

9. How has your community service experience impacted you personally? What is the most important thing you learned about yourself throughout this experience? It did not change my life.

10. Were you satisfied with your experience overall? Why or why not? I was satisfied because I could help. I also had a chance to meet up with my friends.

11. Do you see yourself staying involved in the community in your college and adult years? Why or why not? I do, because I have been involved for a better part of my life, and will continue to do so. I think it’s what we should do. I enjoy knowing people want what I give.

12. Sum up your service-learning experience in a one-or two-sentence headline. “To define a community”

I’m not a punctual person. Usually you’ll see me rushing to places. When I say, “Meet at 10”, I will probably be out my house by 10. When I say I’m at a certain street, I’m actually a few blocks away. I always assume that I have an extra few minutes to do a million things. When this happens, I think of myself as a superhero, saving myself time by squeezing in 10 errands in an unreasonable amount of time. School? Yeah, I try to get to school on time, it’s always either I’m on time or a minute or two late. Proud? Not very much. I should work on my time management… maybe tomorrow.

I am one of the many new freshman’s at Baruch college. I was definitely set on attending this school, and had no other preferences because I knew i was going for a business major; accounting most likely. Math has always been my strongest subject, and numbers have been simpler to me than language. However, in order to do well I must master both, which is one of the greatest issues I have for my first semester, considering that I have no math classes and all other classes require literary skills. I am trying my best and really hope I do well in these classes. I really strive to get a degree here and achieve a succcesfull career.

My whole life I have seen my parents work so hard to have the position that they have in their careers now. They have shown me that you have to work hard to get what you want. Their success and work ethics inspires me to make something of myself, in order to obtain what I want in life, and take pride in what I do.

When I arrived to the breast cancer walk, it was quite early and cold. Although this event did not have the most favorable conditions, the environment and the people inspired my mood. It felt great and motivating to be apart of a greater purpose with an enormous of people who are for the same cause. It also gave a vibe of unity and hope, for the fight against cancer. I will definitely  be planning on attending the next walk for breast cancer.

Are we all unique, or do we BELIEVE we’re unique? I believe for everything you say you are, hundreds of others have said the same thing. So what keeps us trying to be that one in a million? What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist? Did the chicken or the egg come first? Life is full of mysteries and unexplainables, but frankly we don’t give a damn. We live on and talk about ourselves despite the clicheness.

I’m yet another kid going through college with an open mind for logic & reasoning plus a handful of procrastination. I’m also searching for a dose of confidence. I excel at adopting to changes, but I’d rather keep things unchanged.

We’re surrounded by lies and ignorance. The first Thanksgiving was not a cheery feast with the Natives, they were killed by a plague and the Pilgrims stole the food from them. Is our military really fighting to “protect” our freedom and rights like most of us blindly believe? Or are they fighting to help defense contractors make more money than they’ll ever need (go read about the military industrial complex)? Politicians are using terrorism as an excuse to take away our rights, just take full body scanners/intimate patdowns/racial profiling at the airport as examples. Safety is an entirely different matter, Benjamin Franklin once said “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Our ignorance has made us weak, we’re incapable of defending our rights.

Another subject that irritates me is religion. “God” has blessed us with the ability to reason, so why most never question or doubt their faith? Why do believers choose to blindly believe, deny every debunking factor, and ignore the contradictions in religious texts? I’d say it’s a daring move to waste what God/Allah/etc. purposely gave you.