FRO 12 Motherblog

Although the workshops we had to go to seemed like a hassle at the time I appreciate all of them now. My favorite though was the Rubin museum, it meant the most for me because the religion I practice(Hinduism) was prominently represented and a lot of artwork was used. Outside of this factor I enjoyed it still because I learned a lot about the Buddhist culture. The artwork was definitely intriguing especially to think that these defined and detailed sculptures were made so long ago with little help of technology. I think this trip also made me more open to museums, when I was younger I always thought museums as places that old people go to. Since I am now the “old people” I used to talk about I guess I do like museums. This is a good workshop also because it was interactive it wasn’t like the news literacy workshop where we sat and waited to the end. Rather we were able to pick up the headsets and learn about what we were looking at and experience another culture.

This picture of a basketball helps me best describe my time here at Baruch this far. This is mainly because I feel as though my life surrounds the ball. For more reasons than one, firstly my first semester has been a social one because I’ve made a lot of new friends outside of the cluster we are in. I say that basketball is a great reason for this, going downstairs and just playing the sport with so many different people and faces was a experience in of itself. After playing we would go out and eat and talk and just have fun. In addition to basketball helping me make friends it surprisingly helped me keep ontop of my work. When I finished playing ball I would go to the library and study. playing basketball helps activate my body so that I am awake and aware. Also I cough up a lot of credit to basketball for keeping me as fit as I am because the running up and down the court for hours really gets me into cardio which I probably wouldn’t do on a treadmill of some boring machine. Basketball has made my time at Baruch enjoyable. 

Freshmen year was not too difficult in my opinion but rather just stressful due to my poor time management. My grades are not up to my expectations but still overall pretty decent, however i feel if i paced myself better I could have done better.

One class i do not regret having this semester is  freshmen seminar since it was very informative and proved to be helpful in adapting me to Baruch College life. I did not feel the same way at the beginning of the year when i thought the class was going to be a waste of time.  Now at the end of the semester i actually feel i will miss that class where it was basically a very nice environment to make friends and just learn about Baruch. I came into Baruch not knowing anything  about it in the beginning. I am glad to say that because of Freshmen seminar i understand what Baruch has to offer for students to help them do as good as possible such as, the writing center, borrowing laptops and much more stuff.

I wanted to apply for Team Baruch but i forgot to send in the application which i really regret now. I wanted to hopefully run a freshmen seminar class to help other freshmen students transition into the college life. I know freshmen seminar has helped me a lot and i want to give back to this program.

If I could pick one thing to change about the class it would be to have more in class debates and discussions and less informative lectures. To go through a 20 slide powerpoint on the career center may be helpful to some, but engaging in a class wide discussion helps students to build persuasive skills which will carry on to their professional lives.  When the students had to pick a point of view point of their own and argue that point, this to me was the funnest part of freshman seminar simply because it was the most interactive and interesting activity of the entire semester.

Now think back to August, tell me your thoughts, was your 1st semester everything you thought it would be? Better? Worse? What did you hate? What did you like? Did you join any clubs/sports/activities? Hows your commute? Are you staying here? etc…

I am pretty happy about my first semester here at Baruch. I’ve accomplished my dream of moving to the city. I’m living away from my family, I have so much freedom. I’ve experienced a lot of change this semester but I love it. I have made many friends, some that I can see I will remain close to for years to come. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and succeeded. The schoolwork can seem like a lot at times but I can keep it under control. I’ve enjoyed some classes more than others but they have been pretty good. I’ve learned I have a lot of trouble getting up in time for an 8:15 class even though I had to get up earlier for high school. So I am looking forward to next semester when my earliest class is 9:30. I am looking forward to taking some supposedly great professors and meeting even more people. I’m pretty optimistic about my future at Baruch and I cant wait for the next 3 and 1/2 years!

Voices preformed by NYU students was my favorite workshop we attended, yet it was my only workshop I attended. The monologues they read were all really interesting and we could somewhat relate to conflicts the writers faced. What I think held my attention the most was the presentation/interpretation the NYU students got from reading our monologues. I guess if I had to say it inspired me, it was the writing style of the monologues that were picked. It influenced me to become a better writer. 

THE END

I did not think that voices was going to be good. I wanted to sign in and leave instantly, but I found that it was so interesting I almost stayed there instead of registering for classes (which I eventually did leave to do). The asian actor is the most intriguing of them all, I looked forward to every time he spoke, but all the rest were good as well.

I found the presentation by the STARR Center representative very informative. I did not know that getting an internship was that easy! All that has to be done is to go to the STARR Career Center and check the listings for internships in a particular field. The man was very coherent and enthusiastic about teaching us this important information. Even though doing interviews is a little nerve-racking, I’ll have to check into STARR during my next semesters at Baruch. Another good part of the meeting was that he made sure that we felt comfortable going to STARR by describing the staff to be very amiable and caring. Overall it was a nice experience that was definitely helpful for me, especially at a commuter school like Baruch.

The Rubin Museum of Art was definitely my favorite workshop. I have been to several museums but I never had such an experience with Himalayan art.  Personally, I connected with many of the pieces of art because I have meditated at a Buddhist temple before. This museum brought me back to that moment. I was at total peace and comfort.  I was reminded of the simultaneous emptiness and fullness I had on that day. It is always amazing to be able to immerse yourself in a culture. Looking back at that workshop, I feel the need to meditate. Maybe if I have time, I will go back to that museum and spend more time in contemplative silence.

My favorite enrichment workshop was the Himalayan museum by far. As a New Yorker, I have really enjoyed the cultural facilities provided to us. I’m talking about MoMA, Museum of Natural History, Queens Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Arts and Design, Hall of science, and much more that I cannot name off the top of my head. But, I also didn’t get too see or discover the lesser known museums like the Himalayan museum. Surprisingly, when I took a step into gallery, I felt that it was not any less interesting than other famous museums. In fact, it had its own thematic, specific gallery that was really exciting. Compared to the wide range of art you can absorb from the MET, you can really focus on a single subject and learn about the intricacies of their sculpture design and paintings. It really is a unique experience of its own, especially the indoor temple, which seemed like a separate entity of its own.

After settling in for the first few weeks, it’s actually surprising how quickly I’ve adapted into the Baruch setting. The express elevators, the library community, the lunch options, the computer labs, and the cramming and studying were some of the things I’ve explored at Baruch. Honestly, it felt like a breeze considering how similar it was to my old high school, but there are nuances that I do enjoy about college now that I am a part of it. First, the breaks are usually a great way for me to get work done or study because there is always nothing else for me to do otherwise, except grabbing some lunch. Secondly, my first experience picking and setting up my schedule was actually fun since this is the first time I am deciding at what hours I’m coming to school, with which teachers I want, and with what classes I need. Finally, the attitude shift from high school teachers to college professors are actually rather drastic in my opinion. Most of my professors at Baruch grade strictly on tests and homeworks, rather than attendance, participation or classwork, like in high school.