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…

Looking back to August, I realized how fast this semester went. I feel like just last week I attended convocation and got to see the school and meet some of the friends I would make. Now, in December, with Finals just around the corner, I feel like Im finally used to the college process and the work ethic you need to success. This experience was much better then I thought it would be. Coming from a high school of about 100 kids, Im used to being a big fish in a small pond. I was used to being in a place where everyone knows you and your name. I was used my old friends. I did not think I would like the big school feeling of Baruch but I was surprised to see that it has grown on me. I loved meeting new people, some who I feel like will be good friends for a long time. Some of my favorite moments include playing basketball with brand new competition and new people. I liked the feeling that I needed to improve everything I do in order to be above the rest.My commute was the one thing I hated. My high school was walking distance from me but for Baruch, I need to take the 7 and then the 6, almost a 40 min commute. All in all this semester was great.

This summer we had to read the book Brooklyn for Baruch. Though I did not read the book completely, I did get a good understanding of the story and a grasp of the characters. Recently, the author of Brooklyn came to Baruch to talk about what went trough his mind when he was writing his book, inspirations he had, and even took the time to answer a couple of questions. I thought it was very interesting to see him and what compelled him to write Brooklyn.

I actually paid a visit to the Starr website and looked at different things that it could provide me. I was very surprised to see that this is a very good outlet to use to get a jump start to my career. They provide internship and even opportunities to network with people from the actual companies. Using the site, I was able to attend a networking meeting with some of the biggest names in J. P Morgan. It was a great experience and proved the usefulness of Starr to my career.

When I first came into Mason Hall for Voices, I thought it would be boring. When I actually started to pay attention to what the actors were saying, I actually thought it was funny. The actors knew how to go into their roles as current freshmen as Baruch and did a great job trying to emulate what the author had intended In the end, I was very surprised by the performance and also enjoyed it.

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…

August seems like it was only yesterday. My 1st semester was in fact everything I thought it would be. I enjoyed my classes and found ALPFA very helpful in the beginning of my college career. I liked being in a college environment because I have waited so long. My commute consists of either a B/Q to a 6 train or a BM3/BM4; I prefer the latter. I am staying in Baruch for my full 4 years and plan to make the best of it and use my resources to create a very productive professional career.

The Voices performance was surprisingly witty, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed it a lot, the asian guy was the funniest; he really embodied the character. None of my fellow student’s monologues were picked unfortunately. My favorite performance was when the asian guy paralleled cigarettes to the obsession with a girl.

This workshop was very insightful because I have never been to an author’s meeting. It is interesting to see the man behind the words. The way Toibin described his perspective on the story stood out to me, he had an archive of information that he incorporated into his story. I could relate because I am an immigrant myself, and the experience of growing up in a different place is a big challenge in life that we can learn from.

Career planning is a very important aspect of college, it is the start of your professional life. The information received is very helpful because it provides students with resources necessary to expand and discover what they would like to do. Social media is the communication of the future, and as professionals, we will be exposed to a large amount of networking. The STARR search is an essential tool required for finding internships and full time offers, it is a very helpful and important feature that Baruch provides.

I definitely plan to use STARR search in order to create my profile and find great opportunities for my career. Gaining experience is important right away because exposure to the professional world will assist you in landing the dream job we all want. It also gives us more time to plan and envision our future. I am interested in studying finance to work for a top firm in New York City. These tools will help me find opportunities and allow me to apply. As a freshman, you should absorb every piece of knowledge around you, it is very important.

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…

My hypothesis on how this first semester was going to play out was correct, yet there were many surprises. I had a feeling I was going to feel like I was in high school again…I did. Most people including myself have not truly matured. Some of my classmates act exactly as they would have senior year of high school. Thanks to the “Learning Community”, I felt like I was hanging out with my friends after school on a typical after school day. The teachers still somewhat hold your hand: they constantly remind us about tests, they’re in touch with us through e-mail and BlackBoard, we are notified when we don’t show up to class, they make sure we’re doing everything right during lectures and class activities, and we’re constantly put in groups. We even have writing partners in English class! Regardless of all this, I can’t say I mind because I feel like this is the perfect way to transition effeciently into the college system: slowly and steadily loosening the grip on us until we are eventually on our own and don’t even realize it.

The dramatic changes I didn’t expect is the break between morning and afternoon classes. I do actually enjoy these because we don’t have to rush lunch, we can get some work done if necessary, and we can even hit the gym to save some time after school. Another one is the concept of a learning community. I never had to stick around with the same exact people for an entire semester! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever been exposed to, and while I’m sure everyone’s made many friends, this is a bad idea because it limits us to the amount of people we meet in our classrooms. The only other way to meet people is to be a part of a club! I don’t like the fact that everyone is always rushing around to get to class. I never get to meet anyone, especially the gorgeous women of the school! It’s hard to approach them. In high school, they walked at a leisurely pace, stopped by a locker or something so you can make small talk with them, or hung out around school when classes were done. The Baruch women do none of these.

I also enjoyed the fact that although the freshmen may be stuck with a high school mentality, the rest of the school isn’t. There’s no drama, cliques, or bullies to worry about. Everyone’s too busy with their studies. Still, most of the staff and students I met have been extremely nice, which is such a relief considering how many douchy mean people there are everywhere else.

I joined the PorColombia and ALPFA clubs. Unfortunately, I did not attend many of their meetings but I do plan to be involved to the fullest next semester and the following year. I will be striving to get an internship through ALPFA with a big non-for-profit or corporate company.

I do overall enjoy Baruch and hope to be staying at least another year until I truly realize my goal in life!

P.S. I love you Irene, you are an incredible girl.

I didn’t read the book during the summer. I had heard it was dull and monotonous. I thought it was yet another immigrant-struggling-to-get-by-in-America novel but when we met the author, Colm Toibin, I was enlightened on the many facets of the piece. First of all, I can relate to the story of Brooklyn as I am also an immigrant to the Tri-State area. My mother struggled to get a job when she first got here ten years ago. We were at the very bottom rung of American society’s ladder but we still decided to stand and fight for our right to live here and prosper. Eilis relates to us since we are coming of age as she does in the novel.

I found the author’s passion when he talked about the book to be heartfelt. He’s one hundred percent behind his piece and I can tell he truly likes it. He is a warm, interesting man that deserves credit for his writing, whether one finds it tasteful or unfulfilling.