Out of all the enrichment workshops we attended voice’s was by far my favorite enrichment workshop. When listening to the monologues being acting out it really got me thinking of different monologue ideas that I should of wrote about. I really enjoyed the monologue of the guy thats in love with bacon I found that very comical. But besides the funny monologues. The serious ones were the ones that really got me thinking. I personally couldn’t believe some of the experiences some of my fellow classmates wrote about and have to deal with on a day to day basis. This workshop in particular had me very interested and when I am down or happy maybe I ll write a monologue because I feel it’s a great way to get out your emotions with out acting out a certain way.Im so glad we attended voices that work shop will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Though shorter than the other workshops and less vibrant, my favorite workshop was  News Literacy. There was no performance, no bright lights, no paintings, no sculptures. But there was bountiful information that could be used to help me during my time at Baruch. Though I missed the latest performance of Voices, the one I saw at the beginning of the semester was very inspiring and entertaining, a testament to the multitude of feelings that arise from starting a new phase in your life. The paintings and sculptures at the Rubin Museum were intricate and telling of the beauty of a past rich in history. Both Voices and the Rubin Museum were good experiences but I don’t believe that they were as beneficial to my academic life as the News Literacy workshop was. Starting college at a time in which technology has never been so fast-paced or easily accessible, always at our fingertips, it’s good to know how to weed out what isn’t going to be useful to us, to know what makes a source credible. This information can be used to write papers, a requirement for most classes here. When attending a school like Baruch that has such a strict policy against plagiarism, it’s very useful to know how to prevent it, especially when it’s done unintentionally. The BBC video about the spaghetti trees reminded me how easy it can be to believe false information when you’re not fully informed of its source. So while it wasn’t the most exciting of our workshops, News Literacy took the top spot for me.

My favorite workshop had to have been the Rubin Museum. I actually did not want to go to any of the workshops but after going to the Rubin Museum, I’m glad i decided to go. Also if i didn’t go i would have had to write more blogs then I have to do. In all honesty I don’t like these blogs and i find them tedious and annoying. I have a lot of work for other classes and I only have a little free time which I like spending working out and practicing baseball. Getting back to the Rubin Museum. The Museum was very interesting and invigorating. Our tour guide was good and i knew her from convocation and registration back in August. I was suppose to be in her Freshman Seminar class but the Freshman Seminar class that I am in now, is ten times better then that would have been. The Rubin Museum showed a lot of great history about Buddha. It was cool to see the sanctuary for peace that a queen donated to the Museum. It looked like a good place to take a nap. I also liked all the artwork that was there. It was pretty amazing to see all of the sculptures, and even to see how they were being made, and the process it took to make them. That is pretty much all I have to say about my favorite enrichment workshop. It has been real Freshman Seminar PCE!!!!!!

I didn’t really want to go to any of these workshops but after attending the rubin museum, I was glad i went. When I first heard we were going to the rubin museum, I had no idea what to expect and kind of didn’t really want to go because honestly thought it would be a boring waste of time. I found the museum to be very interesting. It showed me a lot about a different culture that I had never learned about before. I saw a lot of very nice art. It was also very interesting hearing about the history of the museum. It was cool to see kind of how the layout of an old apartment used to be and how many people were crammed in one tiny little room. I thought the tour was really way too fast though. Although it took longer to walk there then to do the whole tour, I still found it interesting and a good experience. I would consider going back especially since it is free to Baruch students. I would definitely recommend this museum to anyone wanting to experience a new culture and see some very beautiful and historic art. Although I did not really want to go to the museum in the first place and thought it would be a waste of time, I really enjoyed it and actually would like to go back some time on my own where I actually have time to look at everything and enjoy what the museum has to offer.

As a part of the whole Freshmen experience, one of them is going to these enrichment workshops. They sound boring at first, but they’re actually not bad. I’ve went to a majority of them throughout my first semester but my favorite one would of had to have been Baruch Voices. The fact that this show is even put on is amazing. It showcases students throughout all different grades, ethnicity, talents, accents and personalities all getting up on stage to perform in front of other classmates. It was a different experience then a talent show however. Baruch Voices felt like genuine performances coming from all kinds of people and during the show, I was actually having a really good time, despite my feelings of going to a show during club hours in the first place. One of my friends from High School actually performed on stage. Seeing him there was really exciting because I have had conversations with him in the past, and now he was having a conversation with an audience full of people. He did a monologue on his morning routine and I think it was spot on for a lot of freshmen, unsure of where they were headed in life. In my opinion, this Baruch Voices was a much better time than the other Baruch Voices that happened earlier this year. This is because I have I experienced my first semester here at Baruch and I can understand where some of the speakers were coming from. Have a happy day everyone!

At first I was very reluctant to go to any of these workshops, mainly because they were during the one real break that I had once a week. However, once I saw them I couldn’t be happier. Being forced to go was one of the greatest things. I live in a community that is such a bubble and I don’t really hear of much outside of the community. Although, when I went to the Voices the other week I was touched. It is just marvelous how so many people can express themselves in such different ways. They open themselves up, trusting other people with the truth about themselves. I for example had said the most important topic in the world to me when I presented my monologue. It just really makes me feel good there are other people out there that have the strong will to open up. The Ruben museum was magnificent. To know the history, is the strongest gift of life. I believe we must understand clearly our past before we can plan out our future. The Ruben Museum did a wonderful job at giving me a short insight on the past. Overall, I think this class was a complete success, it has helped me out a lot.

Attending Baruch College was one of the toughest decisions I’ve faced. I had the opportunity to go to University of Michigan but because of family matters and the distance from my actual house, I chose Baruch. Would I say I’m proud of the decision I made? Not necessarily. Yes, it has been a great semester here in Baruch but I always wonder to myself how much better it could have been in U-Mass. When I went to my friend in Hofstra recently it made me realize that dorming isn’t always the greatest idea. Yes, you learn to be independent, but life is not that great in the end of the day. You are on your own and nobody there who really cares for you like your family does. I’ve experienced so much in Baruch already and I still have a few semesters left. With the different people surrounding me and “the city that never sleeps,” I would say that I’m adjusting. Soon I will have a job and I just hope I can balance both school and this job. I am excited for the rest of my time in Baruch. Nobody said life will be easy but I’m willing to face every obstacle that faces me in my path to success, confidently.

My favorite out-of-class experience was at the Rubin Museum. It contained so much history and one small place.Their collection of ancient artifacts were absolutely stunning. I really appreciated how our tour guide really took the time to explain numerous symbols and gestures withing the paintings and sculptures. One thing that really interested me was the meanings behind each hand gesture or pose contained in nearly every painting or sculpture. I never knew that little details like that actually had purpose behind it.

The thing that caught my eye the most at the Rubin Museum was the vast set-up of the shrine. The collection was so impressive, nearly every inch of each altar was decorated with some sort of authentic figurine. The atmosphere was so peaceful that all I could think of was the word “zen.” I thought it was pretty awesome. It’s interesting that some people actually go to that place to meditate or focus on school work.

I, personally, really liked the tour of the Rubin Museum. Also, I really like the fact that it’s free for Baruch students. That is definitely a plus. But all in all, I thought the experience was a good one and was actually quite enjoyable. Perhaps I might visit again sometime very soon.

Since the beginning of the semester I’ve attended all the enrichment workshops and my favorite by far was the Baruch Voices performances. The sincerity of the monologues was really touching and I kind of regret the fact that I didn’t put so much emotion into mine. I liked that we finally got a break from strictly educational things and finally got a chance to see our school mates as kids who go through the same issues that I do as new college students, children, siblings, etc. Some of the monologues were a little shocking like the one about the girl who cut herself. I was surprised that people were willing to put things that were so personal in a show for everyone to hear, but I suppose expressing your feelings like that could help with any emotional distress. There were also really funny stories like the one about how in love this guy was with this thing he was describing that ended up being bacon. This workshop will stick with me through my college life because it reassured me that I’m not in this alone. Every worry or issue I’ve experienced or will experience is the same worry or issue that several other people are going through too. I’m glad we were forced to go to this, it was interesting and made me feel a little more comfortable in college.