FRO12 BTA

Among all the enrichment workshops I’ve been to, I’d have to say that my favorite would be Baruch Voices. I was actually pleasantly surprised by it. I was originally upset that I had to go to Baruch voices and miss my registration time but I think it was well worth it. That, and I got someone to register for me. I was amazed at the creativity and talent hidden among the freshmen class. There were two monologues that stood out particularly to me. One was the monologue about Keanu. Keanu was in the same year and at the same school as I. Although I never met him, he taught me the fragility of life and it’s always nice to see a fellow Technite at Baruch. It just goes to show what a small world it is. I’ve learned that no matter where you go, you will always see someone from Brooklyn Tech. The second monologue that stood out to me was the one about bacon. I remember that one particularly because it was hilarious. I love the way that the writer personified the bacon, leading everyone to think it was a girl. It was sheer genius. Overall, I did enjoyed Baruch Voices.

My first three months of Baruch have surely flew by. I can honestly say, it was nothing like what I had imagined. It was better. It’s a bit of a transition from high school, in the sense that you are responsible for getting things done yourself but for the most part it’s been an enjoyable one. It’s a bit confusing to find the help you need but it does help to have upper classmen friends. The classes aren’t extremely hard (except for math) and the workload is average.  Everything is starting to feel routine now. The picture below that I’ve chosen pretty much sums up college for me, and for pretty much every college student. Sometimes, people forget that we go to college to achieve higher learning to get a job. It’s only a means to get to an end. I’ve always wanted to experience the typical college life but going to Baruch, I knew I had to give that up. Going to school in the city has it perks and downsides. Sure, we have to commute to school everyday and buy a monthly metrocard, but the city is always lively and dynamic. I’m starting to understand the phrase, the city is our campus. When I hear stories of my friends and their horrid experiences being trapped in the middle of nowhere, having nowhere to go, or showering in dirty bathrooms,  it’s me who feels sorry for them. The city may not be a typical college campus but it is my home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that college isn’t about where you go, it’s about what you make of it.

 Lora Goldberg Fro BTA

I chose to write about the Baruch Voices presentation because it was an outstanding performance. Some of the monologues seemed so real that I wanted to talk back to the person or cry from their touching speech. It was really cool to see how other students in Baruch are not afraid to be creative with their thoughts and say what is on their mind. I, on the other hand, have always kept my monologues more general and less personal than the creative presentations at Baruch voices. Since I did not attend the first one, I was hesitant to go and thought it would be a waste of time. In retrospect, however, I am happy I took time out of my hectic schedule to see the performance. Given the chance to converse with some of the students whose monologues were read out loud, I would love to hear more about their experiences. I chose to write about Baruch voices over the Rubin Museum of Art because the type of art portrayed in the museum was not one of particular interest to me. I prefer to look at modern works of art or classical style art. No matter where my path in life takes me, no matter what school I study at in my future, I will always remember the performance of Baruch voices and the impact it had on me. 

After a long, eventful summer the time came to prepare myself for the new experiences that would come with being a college student. The new school year crept up on me and suddenly it was my first day of college and to be honest I probably was not ready for it. Transitioning from the lazy summer days to a face paced busy schedule was a shock especially when your mind is still focused on your summer experiences. But it was time to man up and face the responsibilities that were placed on me. Some aspects of college seemed great, the homework that would not be due every single day and sometimes every other week made it seem like I had all the time in the world. Little did I know how hard it would be to actually sit down long enough to focus on assignments and I would find myself procrastinating until the night before even when I said I wouldn’t  I’d be lying if I said I still don’t struggle with the same problem but realizing the challenging courses I will be faced with in the future, it’s better  to change these habits sooner rather than later. The harsh reality is that you can’t get your life goals accomplished by spending your days doing trivial things; you have to work for it and make your own opportunities.  Getting a college education is a way to jump start your career and as lazy as you feel sometimes you just have to get things done. Here I am putting in some effort by posting this blog two days before it is due, if that’s not progress I don’t know what is. My first semester at Baruch has had its ups and downs but overall I’ll adjust and hopefully find classes I enjoy and that will guide me towards the direction I want to go. It is time that I learn to balance fun with responsibility and take pride in the effort I put into my school work. So hopefully I’ll take the initiative in my spring semester classes and go from wanting “ to not do things” to actually putting in extra effort.

My favorite enrichment workshop that I have attended was by far Baruch Voices. Baruch Voices showcases a very personal side of the students at Baruch which is why it was my favorite. Everyone’s got a story to share and with each story, especially told through the actors, it sort of showcases the various personalities and values present at Baruch. If you listened hard enough, you could point out all the different emotions and figure the  possible characteristics of that person. While interning at an ad agency over the past summer, I was given some of the greatest advice by the Director of Innovative Marketing: to want to listen; everyone likes to hear themselves talk and everyone wants to talk about how great they are or want to join the conversation but in order to truly understand something or even someone listen and you might get a great story out of it. Ever since then, I still continue to talk but I make more of an effort to just listen and I have heard some really inspiring stories and some really funny stories and some really heartfelt stories. Baruch Voices doesn’t end in Mason Hall, it continues with each new person I meet here at Baruch.

Well…. that’s been how my first semester at Baruch has been going. In high school I used to have classes that I could relax and not care about and still do well. But now in college every class I have to write notes, pay attention, and participate in order to do well. My brain hasn’t stopped since entering Baruch. Whether its calculus, art history, history, english, political science, or even freshman seminar, there’s always something to do in every class. I have to keep track of deadlines and whats due in what class and when. I have to keep track of tests, finals, and quizzes. Writing papers and homework assignments are becoming daily routines,not like high school where I would get one paper per year. Then I have to make my own schedule and keep track of what classes I have to take. This was no easy task. Being a freshman and getting the worst possible time to schedule was probably the worst thing I had to do so far in college.

Overall my time in college has been great but tiring. The long train rides, the dreadful 2 hour classes, and the early morning wake-ups I feel as though I haven’t rested my brain at all. Weekends have become more of sleeping and getting work done rather than dinners and party’s. Thank God for the sabbath…. (hahahaha). But truthfully I have enjoyed college, even though its been hard adjusting and getting used to the hard work that must be put in. but that’s what I’m starting to realize. I must put in the hard work, the long study hours, and giving up some of my childhood and start to grow up, because sooner or later I’m going to get a job and I have to start taking responsibility. So even though my brain hasn’t stopped since college started I’m going to get used to this and realize that those days of doing nothing on Sunday and going out every night have come to an end, but I’m still young so ill adjust slowly because I love the do nothings Sunday’s… for now.

Baruch Voices was a workshop that I found to be interesting with having professional actors performing students’ monologues. However, I felt that the second Baruch Voices was very boring and lacked momentum unlike the first one we had in Convocation Day. They had the same people but I think the problem was that the monologues were the same so there wasn’t much to expect. The only monologue that grabbed my attention was talking about one’s love for bacon. The 40 minute presentation seemed to put many students to sleep or even cranky since they had to register for the classes which was a hectic time. If only it were done at another day would people acknowledge the students’ personal experiences. Well, all I could say was not bad but could have been better.

The enrichment workshop that I enjoyed most was the visit to the Rueblin Museum. I enjoyed it because I learned so much about other cultures mainly Hindu. I got to see a lot about how they lived and what their society was like. Their paintings and art were really inspiring and their love for animals, mainly elephants, was interesting. One painting in particular caught my eye. It was a wall painting of many men either sitting down or riding on elephants. They were not working rather they were just enjoying life, which I thought was very unique about their culture and society. Another artwork that I found very entertaining was the replica of their worship room. Their was background music, dimly lit, and many chair in their. It was like a meditation room and I thought it was very cool. I could imagine a family sitting in there, praying and doing spiritual work. Also it seemed very relaxing because its a room that you can get away from all technology in your house and just sit there and think. After a long day a person can just sit in there and they would forgot about the days troubles and problems. The Rueblin Museum was a very inspiring place that made me think about simpler time that in today’s day and age we forget about.

How should I describe these couple of months of college? I think the best word would be fast. Everyday, Baruch looks as if it was rush hour  at Grand Central. From the moment I entered the building for the first day of school, everything went by quickly. All the new students looked confused as they tried to find their classes while everyone else were fighting to get into the elevators which I thought was a bit funny. Now in college, I feel as if this is an extension to high school but  much better due to the infinite amount of resources available and freedom. In high school, I had the same classes everyday from 8 – 3;30pm. Now, I get one to two classes a day with an hour or more breaks in between which was awesome. However, once class ends, everyone heads straight home or to work. Since Baruch is a commuter school , there really much to do around here for those who want a real college experience. If that’s the case, maybe they should transfer to another school. I hope people would realize that its best to slow down and just take things one step at a time unlike when people get cranky during rush hour , trying to get to their destinations.

My most favorite enrichment workshop if I were asked would definitely be the Baruch Voices. It is the most entertaining out of all the workshops so far. The monologues that the students at Baruch made were very thought out and it was a good experience to listen and see the performance. How the performers acted out the monologue really relayed the feelings in the monologue. I thought that it was amazing, hearing the variety of thoughts from others from Baruch. Some of what the monologues were saying were thoughts I also had before so I felt connected in a way. I was more aware that many other people have through thinking about deep things. I thought I was one of the few who thought that way so it was nice to see I was not the only one. It was also interesting to listen to the stories of others and I am a fan of stories, I never really fell asleep in the Baruch Voices. Some of the monologues had well put humor, the exaggerated and dramatic way the performer spoke made it more hilarious. For example, the monologues about food usually turn into comedy and the blunt sexual/racist remarks are easily understood with the performer’s way of speaking. All in all, the Baruch Voices workshop was much more entertaining than the other workshops, however I do think that the other workshops were more informative. What I felt that is like inspiration was that the broad views that the monologue expressed made me more comfortable with the uncertainties that come with career seeking. I felt more relieved just hearing the problems others had. The feelings that I have towards college and advancing towards a career were in some monologues similarly shared. Through hearing them as one of the audience, I feel more like I am not the only one who goes through worries. In fact, by listening to the monologues I get the feeling people are more understanding than I expected and getting help in college is more welcoming than I thought. So thus I feel more inspired to take on the challenges that come in my career path.