FRO 2012: BWA

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. 

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.

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Wow. This semester has went by quickly. It seems like yesterday we were in that first FRO class talking about Brooklyn . Where has the time gone? I think it is safe to say that I have found a new home in Baruch. I never pictured myself going to college in the city after having gone to high school here for four years. I am happy with my choice. This past semester had open my eyes to many new experiences. While I still have some habits from high school (procrastination), I have tried to balance my time and relax. I am enjoying the freedom of this first semester. This is a bittersweet moment because I know it  will not be this easy.  It only gets harder from here. But alas, I am not worried. Everyone in this FRO section is awesome and I hope everyone can stay in touch. Thank you for a fun semester.

For those of you who haven’t encountered this unbelievable man, he goes by the name of Andy Bernard, at least in the hit show, The Office.  I would like to say that my first semester at this school generally aligns with a lot of the themes that underly Andy’s character.  Some people say work before play, but Mr. Bernard and I say work and play at the same time.  Andy is known throughout the office to be a jokester.  He loves getting in a sly comment, goofing off, or coming up fancy nicknames for everything imaginable.  His awkward sense of humor is actually unreal.  At the same time, he manages to be a professional.  He eventually makes his way to regional manager of the office, and in time becomes very wealthy.  In that same sense, I like to think that I have spent my first semester being both a goof and a hard worker.  Essentially, I have balanced, my academics, athletics, and social life pretty successfully.  At first glance, Andy seems to be your ideal office mate.  A closer analysis will prove otherwise.  Like Andy in this sense, I am not completely satisfied.  It seems as if a balance is not good enough for my liking.  I would rather have a surplus in one or two and a lack in the third.  I suppose that is not a terrible thing, for the lack of satisfaction means that I’m not suffering from complacency.  Ultimately, Andy and I are two of a kind.  Interestingly enough, his hometown of Simsbury, Connecticut is a mere 5 minute drive from my house.

Alright, I’m going to knock both these posts out before I give up on getting work done. My first semester felt like a calmer version of High school to be perfectly honest. I can even say  that many of my classes were in fact more difficult and challenging in high school; However, I am glad that this was the case; because if I have easy classes then it will hopefully be easier to transfer to a school with an engineering program. My classes were just so chill and I felt little to no pressure from my classes (was this how HS was for other people?). My school was really intense compared to this, all of my classes were an hour and a half long and we had exams every other day. As for my social life, I made a group of friends and while I don’t hang out after school, that has a lot to do with my inherent laziness and having work on Tuesdays and Thursdays than it does with a lack of friends. If there is anything that I can say is really different is the area around the school; I went to school in Harlem, in a place where you saw a lot of questionable behavior and the people who were around definitely weren’t as nice as they are downtown (businesses here say hello and recommend things while most back in HS wanted nothing to do with me). I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed this semester, I got a lot of downtime to play games in class and the work load was completely manageable, I’m actually kind of sad that  I will have to leave this place to get the major I want but I am sure I will never forget my first semester in college.

Well, I get that I am supposed to write about my favorite one or about how they have affected me but I can honestly say that no session comes to mind;  in fact I felt held back by these events and they have impeded on many activities that I would like to do. It probably is coincidental but every time I actually have something to do ( be it picking up a sibling from school or registering for classes the workshops always got in the way; actually that isn’t completely true, The museum didn’t get in the way of anything so I’ll choose that one as my favorite. As or changes… well I already had been to a lot of museums and I spend my life on the internet so I have to be skeptical of what I see; and Baruch voices only got in the way of my registration and kind of screwed me over even more than my appointment to register. All in all, I think that it is a waste of time but I can see how this can help SOME people or perhaps entertain others. As for me while the class was fine to attend I really disliked this out of class commitment.

My favorite enrichment workshop would hands-down have to be the musical we were required to see earlier on in the semester. It focused primarily on the academic, emotional, and personal situations and problems, we, as college students, will probably encounter in our years attending Baruch. I thought it was such an eye opener because I hadn’t really thought about all the topics they covered in the musical. I was merely excited about the fact that I was officially in college but I focused more on the positives rather than the negatives that can possibly occur in my years here, hopefully not though. I enjoyed and appreciated that they chose to incorporate humor into the musical because for such serious topics, I think adding humor lightened up the mood but they still managed to clearly spread the messages they were attempting to get across. Surprisingly, I found many of the songs very catchy and although I haven’t been one to enjoy musicals, I realized that it was, in fact, the music that was very entertaining. Basically, I thought this musical really made me come to the realization that I was no longer in high school but I had stepped into a completely new environment. Although my high school had greatly prepared me for college, academically, there is no way that it fully helped me in understanding all the personal experiences and problems that can occur in college and for that, I like that we had to see this show just to be prepared for what can happen and the ways we may feel while in college.

Honestly, I had never even contemplated coming to Baruch College. I had decided that I didn’t want to attend a college in the city because I wanted the ideal college experience which was to live on-campus.  I had applied to only three city schools but the rest were located in upstate New York. Visiting these colleges for their freshman orientation, I realized two things. One was that I couldn’t possibly leave the city and live in upstate NY which was too quiet and boring. Secondly, the environment of the other colleges I was deciding on attending didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel as though I would be able to live on campus or attend classes there for four years. So, a couple of days before May 1^st, the deadline, I decided that I’d give Baruch College a chance and see what exactly it was about. When I attended the orientation and took a tour of the college, I knew without a doubt that this was the college for me. It is now December and I feel exactly the same way I did when I had left Baruch after the orientation, happy with my decision. I enjoy coming here each and every day although it takes me a while to actually get out of bed to get here. The environment and the people are welcoming and although Baruch is located in the city and is pretty huge, I still feel a sense of togetherness among the individuals here. But, then again, maybe that’s just me.

Academically, I believe I am doing well. The only complaint I have is geared towards Calculus but who doesn’t normally have an issue with Calc? I enjoy math and I consider it to be my favorite subject but sometimes it’s completely frustrating. Communications is the other course that I feel bittersweet about. I’ve never liked public-speaking but at the same time, I’m glad that it is a required course because it has helped me to improve and hone my public-speaking skills. I’ve also realized that I enjoy anthropology and I have actually been applying what I learn in class to my life and the way I view other cultures/ individuals. All in all, I look forward to spending the next three years at Baruch!