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My Baruch Experience has not really lived up to my expectations. I expected a little more out of the school and the whole environment in general. As of now, its just high school with harder work and a long commute. I do hope that I learn to like Baruch a lot more and get more out of it than I am right now. My first semester at Baruch was alright. I had to do a lot of work and it was not much fun most of the times. I did enjoy something but I did not really like the classes that I had to take besides business law. If I could do my whole semester over again I would probably study more. I did not really study which I need to work on in order to have more success. I have changed because I became more responsible because everything I do I’m on my own so I definitely became more responsible and independent. I hope to achieve a lot at my time in Baruch College.

Name: Joseph Galperin

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 helped lead and encourage the runners.

2. What were your initial reactions upon hearing that you would be engaging in a community service project? I was happy to know that I could help people who needed my help, and that all the classes required it since that means many more people were helped.

3. How did it make you feel to give your time and energy to others? I was pleased that I could help in any way, because I would have missed my chance to participate in the walk if it had not been a requirement for Freshman Seminar.

4. What did you learn about yourself, the people around you, and the service site? I learned how easy it is for someone to organize an event or contribute to an event.

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? The experience that was simultaneously the best and most trying was high-fiving all of the runners. My hand was numb after about half an hour, partially due to the temperature, but I had a good time. I learned that I should be more enthusiastic when greeting the runners because my classmates and I are the only support they get while running.

6. How did engaging in this project relate to your education and the larger issues in society? I saw firsthand survivors of breast cancer so I better understood the uncontrollable detriments in society.

7. How did your community service experience relate to the “Leadership and Service” session? I had to take specific orders of where to stand and I occasionally led some of my peers to cheer for the runners.

8. How has your community service experience changed thinking, attitudes, and actions towards others, yourself, the community, and community service work as a whole? I’ve become more patient with people and I strive to improve my community so that everyone living here can have a more positive image.

9. How has your community service experience impacted you personally? What is the most important thing you learned about yourself throughout this experience? I realized how much I can help those around me, and that I am inclined to.

10. Were you satisfied with your experience overall? Why or why not? I was satisfied because I met some wonderful people and helped them raise money for charity.

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 with charities before, and, besides, I would want someone to help me if I was in such a negative situation.

12. Sum up your service-learning experience in a one-or two-sentence headline.

I attended the breast cancer walk but I was also one of the people who could not find me class at first. I showed up thinking  I would easily find them and we would walk together but then I learned that we would be cheering on the walkers when I eventually found my group. I thought it was going to be really boring cheering them on but it actually wasn’t and I felt good about attending this for a really good cause. I plan on attending another in the future but maybe walking this time.

The breast cancer walk that we attended on October 16th was a great experience. Well, it was extremely cold at first, and I was confused as to where i had to go to meet everyone and what exact time they left but I didn’t make it there. I just stood, cheering for walkers by myself but I very quickly started talking to people around me. Small talk at first, but then they we really got into the conversation. I learned about someone’s sister and someone’s aunt who had breast cancer. It was sad, but it made me feel great to be doing something for a real cause.

So kinda forgot to do this sooner but I attended the breast cancer walk. It was definitely different then what I expected. I thought we would be the walkers that are helping to support breast cancer but little did I know our job was to cheer people on and let them know what side of the rope to be on. Let’s just say I was less than excited to hear this at first but once the event got going it wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be. People were excited to be doing this and that made me excited to wanna cheer them on. The event was surprisingly more excited than I thought it would be, go figure.

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?