I took the photo above from the office of Dr. Martell, a finance professor at Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business, and a great friend of mine. I decided to upload this image because it is a clear example of one of the main reasons why I decided to attend Baruch College, it’s setting. Baruch’s downtown NYC location is fascinating. I am a Dominican born, Upstate New York resident and where I come from, a view like this one is impossible to find. Baruch’s setting is priceless. If you find a room with a view quite like this one, it’s hard for you to get up and leave it, or to refrain from taking a picture to say the least. When I first came to visit Baruch, I was not only impressed with it’s accredited academic environment but I was astonished with the view it had towards the rest of Manhattan. I am an adventurous person. I like to go out, hike, explore, see things that my eyes have never seen. And when I came to Baruch, my eyes were surely satisfied. I believe that setting has a lot to do with one’s ability to learn. When you are placed in an uncomfortable environment, learning does not come as easy due to the fact that you are not at ease with your surroundings. By attending Baruch College, I have learned what an amazing setting really is. Try studying in Dr. Martell’s office! The peacefulness of the environment is incredibly amazing. Not only that. Try walking outside of 25th st. Walk towards Park Ave! You’ll end up in Madison Square Park. Madison Square Park is an excellent place to go and “chill” for lack of a better word. It is part of my experience at Baruch because at the beginning of the semester I basically lived there when I wasn’t in class! It’s only a few blocks away, it has an outdoor cafe, trees (which are always fun to see in Manhattan) and you’ll be sure to hear birds chirping and squirrels dashing around looking for nuts to store for the winter. Walk a few more blocks and you’ll be on 5th Ave. One of America’s most well known avenues. Near Baruch you can find hundreds of restaurants, pricey but worth it. There is even a Dominican restaurant on 28th st. I strongly urge you to try it. By attending Baruch College, we go to school in the capital city of the world. Not only is Manhattan beautiful, but it is exciting, fast paced, intriguing, and merely indescribable. I am glad that I chose to attend Baruch College, not only because it has one of the best business schools in the country but also because it is located in the most interesting city in America, and the world. I hope that I remain a student at Baruch but I hope that If I ever transfer, I may transfer to a school with equal or greater setting than Baruch. My experience at Baruch College is much like no other experience thus far.

Dear Professor Remedios

I was absent for the midterm exam on Monday, 11/26/12, because I got in a car accident while driving to class. Is there any way I can make up the exam? Thank you for taking your time to read this.

Iris Lee

Ten years from now I see myself  with many possibilities. First if I continue to work hard  I see myself as a MLB baseball player playing for any team, preferably the Yankees so I can be close to my family and friends. Second would be working in a renowned company as an investment banker. And if all else fails I will be a porn star. Life is never what we expect it to be, and full of surprises, who knows what anyone will be ten years from now. We can’t tell the future we can only create a better chance. So in ten years from now I might be all of the things I said but I know for a fact I will be successful.

Subject Line: Missing the ENG 2100 Midterm Exam

Hi Professor X,

Due to an illness I was unable to take the midterm exam. I will be bringing in a doctor’s note the following class. Also, could you please let me know when I can make up the exam. Thanks!

Julius Del Rosario

ENG 2100, MW 2:55-4:30

For my monologue , Iwanted to speak about a question, when have i ever felt empowered? For me thats easy, the one thing that ever made me empowered would probably be video games because im a fanatic. It strengthens me be because im basically a useless kid when it comes to sports and i considerably fail at too much . I ending up trying  but it ends sourly. My own experiences told me that its best to stick with hobbies that you are better at than most people,namely video games. My own testimonies showed me 178 ways to beat the hell out of your cousins without lifting a sweat. Its funny i can cream them at NBA 2k12 when i cant even play basketball myself and there the ones on the highschool basketball team. Not only that i can wipe the floor of with my friend in my most favorite game ‘Marvel vs Capcom 3’ , i call this game a tiny piece of hell, cuz its crazy. 11 to 3  was the score i got from beating him and i have doing that ever since. Even though i rarely get to play, meaning that my mom is extremely paranoid thinking i’ll be braindead when im 20, she locked it in a cupboard far far away which actually means she sent to India. So im stuck like rock not know what makes me move, the one thing that ever made me empowered is stuck in hell. Oh mother oh mother(its more like shakespeare line) “ARE YOU CRAZZY!! YOU SENT MY BEAUTIFUL CONSOLE TO LIVE WITH PYGMIES(because Indians are petit). Her reply was killer, she said YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!! with a indian accent with basically did sound like a snake. Still i knew there is hope because every year we always go to back to the motherland and that’s usually the time when i get my groove on and i  call this period The Royal Spanking Era for reasons you probably know.  But maybe one should wonder , Why wait? and Why can’t you find something else? . The thing is ‘Video gaming’ inspires me to do the impossible- scaling of walls, killing people in midair or coming back to life, for some reason it makes me a better person because i usually felt dead in the real world and constant death and rebirth in games makes it seem that i have become immortal. And this why video games inspires me mostly and hence empowers my aspect of life.

My greatest accomplishment is getting a black belt in taekwondo. I practiced the martial art for 4 years and it was probably the longest commitment I had ever made to something. I believe this to be my greatest accomplishment as it pushed me beyond my limits both physically and mentally. From a physical standpoint, taekwondo gave me a sense of toughness as well as finesse. I could withstand hits, break wooden boards, and perform those cool kicks people see on TV. Mentally, taekwondo gave me a sense of self-confidence, discipline, and respect. It allowed me to see the world in a different perspective – a perspective in which respecting others and yourself is of utmost importance. Making me a better person, both physically and mentally, is the reason why my journey to getting a black belt in taekwondo is my greatest accomplishment.

-Julius Del Rosario

When I first came to the United States, I felt lost. I had never seen a city so large and everything was so foreign. I did not speak the language perfectly, and many of traits and habits that defined New York and its people seemed peculiar to me. It was a strange new place and one thing kept me from being completely lost. That was basketball. It was a sport that was rarely talked about back where I’m from. However, I saw the beauty of the game very quick. Basketball kept me from feeling like a complete outsider. I poured my heart and soul into playing ball because I had fun, and through basketball I got accumulated to American culture much faster than I would have. I leaned the lingo, the icons, and the fashion of the time through the sport. I also made some friends at my local park that I am still very much in contact with, which has been a pleasant surprise. I got into my first real fight because of basketball and got my nose broken. When I was 10, I also stole a basketball, the first thing I ever stole. I got my first medal in anything at a basketball tournament. In many ways, basketball has been much more than just a sport to me. Over the years, basketball has been an integral part of my life has helped me through many ups and downs. When I hit my growth spurt in the 7^th grade, I started becoming a potent player on my middle school team. That feeling of respect and adoration that I got from my fellow classmates is something that I would never have imagined coming in as an outsider from another country. Many people say it is just a game, but I would say that basketball is a lifestyle, because it helped me develop into the person I am today.

I always like to set time aside in the year to do something different, something crazy that people don’t normally think of doing. I like being adventurous and taking my limits to the next level and just when I think I cant go anymore I keep on pushing. One example I can relate to is snowboarding. I love snowboarding not only because the sound of the wind blowing as a rush down the mountain electrifies me, but also because I can always keep pushing myself and take it to the next level. Mother nature has no limit, and as the slope gets more difficult, it encourages me to continue to push my hardest to reach my goal. When I snowboard I always have the option to approach the situation the way I feel will make me happy. Sometimes I just want to slowly cruse down the mountain just enjoying the scenery and the fresh air, but other times I want to push myself and I want to reach the point where I’m making mistakes because you can never be perfect if you never learn from your mistakes. When I am on the mountain there is one saying that describes me well: I’m “in it for the thrill.” No matter to what extreme in which I’m coasting down the mountain, there is always one goal in mind and that is to have a thrilling experience. It’s the kind of experience you don’t get from everyday actions but the one you get from going out of the everyday path for a change and trying something different. I think the mountain is place where I learn to become a more successful person in life because I learn to always try my hardest and never give up in achieving my goals.