FRO12 LC15

My first semester at Baruch college has been a very stressful three months since i was not used to the work load of college. I have stayed up till 3am on a lot of days this semester which is not a pleasant experience.  I am starting to cope better with the work now after three months of hardship.

Though the first three months were hard they were also quite fun. I got to know some people in my classes who have made my time at school fly by. School is acually quite fun when you minus the work. But in the end school is a place to learn by doing work so I have to learn to manage both my social life and work time wisly.

For the first time i experienced creating a schedule of my own for the first time. It is a great experiences to know that i can control my class to my own liking. Though it was quite difficult being nearly last pick on the classes. I actually did not get my most ideal schedule where the last spot for the class i wanted to taken right before my time to choose classes. In the end i still like the idea of making my own classes since now i know i will not be late for my classes as often since they are all afternoon classes now, considering I’m not a morning person.

Also the food around Baruch has been getting quite sicken towards the end of semester. I have eaten at the same place few places around Baruch for the whole semester. I hope a few new place open up next semester so i eat different kinds of food next semester hopefully.

My experience in college has been fun with times of stress.  I think it is healthy to have stress if there are ways to relax.  In college, there is very little homework.  To make up for this, there is great emphasis on quiz and exams.  I spend two days before a test with a stressful mood.  I work for my grades and learn from mistakes.

Even thought, I study and have more stress in college.  I still have fun.  I get to eat new foods, meet new friends, have peers to share stress with and money to use.  There is a wide variety of foods in and near Baruch.  The cafe in Baruch has delicious Italian, Chinese, Japanese and American foods.  The only down side to the food is the cost.  In high school food was free.  It was also very predictable and boring.

Outside Baruch, there are also places with foods.  I have been to many different places with my friends.  The most memorable one was sacrificing an extra two rides on my metro card to go to the Japanese supermarket a few stops away from Baruch.

Friends also help reduce a large amount of stress.  I just feel that we share the same workload.  We share the pros and cons of professors.  The block programming helped me made some really good friends.  When I share my stress in words it really helps to reduce it.

Having money is also new to me.  In high school I could not get a job.  I had a boring life because I was always broke.  When my friends get new phones and electronics I felt poor.  Although I do have some luxuries like a fast computer and a iPod I could not afford expensive brand name clothes.

College is different.  the first thing is I had money.  I got money from my summer job, the first real paying job I had.  When I finally got some money I had a hard time controlling myself.  After every purchase there was a feeling of guilt.  Using the financial aid, I also felt guilt.  I think whenever I use money I feel some guilt.  I think it is because I keep remembering the time when I had no money to spend.  Now, I waste like 80 dollars a month on foods and transportation.

The increase in money, time, lunch responsibility is part of my college experience thus far at Baruch.   I do not have any good pictures so here is a funny picture that represents my struggles trying to control my money.

College has been a lot different from what I expected. But it has surprised me in a good way. Before I got into Baruch College, I thought college meant more freedom and flexibility to allow me to focus more on extra-curricular activities like clubs, jobs, and sports. After these few months of college experiences, I have realized that it was different from my expectation.

Now I know that I need to put a lot more time and effort on my classes in order to maintain a good GPA. Even though I have more time outside from school, this extra time is meant for more studying to prepare and do well on my tests. Fortunately, with tons of workload and hours of studying, I have been doing well so far in all my classes.

Another thing I have learned in college is flexibility. Back in high school, I always just memorized all the homework and important dates in my head because they were simple to remember. But college is different. There are different due dates and many important events to participate in. Therefore, I have developed my time management skills. Now I am used to record every detail for classes and events in a planner. It helps me organize and remind myself what to prepare for the next day. I also learn how to divide my homework and readings to finish them on time without struggling everything in one day.

The most interesting experience that I have had in Baruch College is its club hours on every Thursday. During this session, I have the opportunities to explore new things and make new connections with people that could potentially help me with my future career. For example, Hong Kong Club provides different games that allow me to take a break from all those stressful readings and tests. ALPFA gives me an advantage for future application for internships and jobs. Hopefully, I could get involved more and explore more clubs next semester.

I was never a productive student in high school.  I found many courses I took uninteresting and even swore to never take them again (biology and chemistry being the main two).  My grade suffered when I couldn’t grasp concepts but I didn’t even care.  I lacked a sense of responsibility and motivation.  I didn’t see any immediate repercussions, always thinking, “I’ll make up for it next semester or next year.”  Once I got rejected from a lot of the universities I assumed I would get into, I knew I had to make a change.  There just wasn’t any more time to slack on my studies and I immediately got to work.

When the year began, I broke many of my usual norms in school.  I sat at the front of the class and I participated more.  I made myself familiar with the teacher and vice-versa.  I actually did the reading as well as the homework even when I realized professors never check if the students do it.  One of the benefits of college independence, I guess.  My work paid off and I received grades that I rarely saw in high school.  I feel good about how far I have come but there’s still 4 years of this left.  This is no time to get arrogant.  I have to keep working just as hard and harder to maintain these grades and eventually, I’ll have to struggle to manage my time with a job or internship.  I’m worried about my progress but at the same time I look forward to taking these courses, a major difference from my time in high school.

Freshman year has been eye-opening on college life and although I didn’t have a hard time adjusting, I know there are still many services and facilities the school has to offer that I don’t know about.  Registering for classes has been surprisingly easy and I was able to get the schedule of my choice, with the teachers I hoped for.  Here’s looking at next semester!

I haven’t taken a picture in forever.  Since I enjoy ice skating, here’s a picture of citipond.  If you have skates and a lock, admission is free.

My first three months in Baruch have gone have been filled with work, stress, and few hours of sleep. When I attended my first class as a freshman, I noticed that the structure of the class was a lot similar to my high school classes. Well, being in a Learning Community definitely helped bring that feeling. During the first week of classes, I experienced a little trouble deciding which class I needed to devote most of my time to. In the end, no class came out superior. This is not a surprise because nothing is easy in college. I come from a high school where collaboration is encouraged, and many assessments are projects rather than exams. When I transitioned into college, I had to get used to studying more often. My naps after school suddenly stopped, and I stayed up a little later during the weekends to get my work done. College classes have gone by very quickly, and I look forward to taking more classes next semester. Hopefully, I can find a balance between working and having fun.

An issue that many people experience is the crowded elevators in the middle of the day. The large crowd tends to maintain its size until two to three elevators open up. I love to compare Baruch’s crowd during its peak with the emptiness at 8 am. There is nothing better than peace and quiet immediately before a math class. An 8:15 class seemed intimidating to me at first, but when I leave class at 12, I realize how lucky I am. My schedule is not a problem to me because it follows a high school schedule. If only registering for classes was as easy as choosing from blocks.

Now that I am getting used to the location of classrooms and how the prerequisite classes work, I am enjoying my college experience a lot more. I will be planning on looking through clubs to see what are available to me, and if I like them, I’ll be a part of them. The first semester has been challenging, but interesting. There are only three more weeks to go!

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Having gone to an easy high school, I developed poor working habits for school. I became a big procrastinator. I did all my assignments the day before it was due and I was able to do so because they always reminded us the day before. College is way different from that. Since they give out a syllabus, it is no longer their responsibility to tell students when assignments are due, we are expected to know.

Back in high school, it was easier to learn material than it is now. In high school, you would spend like 2 weeks on 1-2 chapters, then have a test on it. Now, it’s a test on like 3-4 chapters with no review of the chapters; they just expect you to know the material. The lack of homework in college seemed great at first, but now I realize that homework was a way of keeping material in my head and to ensure that I knew it.

During the first few weeks, I thought college was going to be easy because of all the freedom and free time. This is not the case. Often times, I do things last minute, if at all, simply because I had forgotten I had to do it. With so much to worry about, I decided to use a planner to help keep track of my assignments. While it’s not completely foolproof, it still helps somewhat. If I didn’t have a planner, I would probably forget almost everything coming up.

Even when I manage to do an assignment with extra time, I still manage to get a grade that I’m less than satisfied with. This semester was my wake-up call to put more effort into my work, even if it is a bit late. There is no one to help me or guide me through my classes; it’s my responsibility to make sure I do well in all my classes.

College is so not what I expected. When I was in high school, I thought college is going to be a breeze. I thought that because when I look at the college people at my work place, they all seem to be very free. I guess that is why they say never judge a book by its cover. I was completely fooled. COLLEGE IS SOOOO HARD!!!

People always say that Brooklyn Tech prepares you for college. That is some b.s! I don’t feel prepared at all. Although there are more homework in high school, I find high school to be a lot easier.

College tests are super hard compare to high school. For high school, the teacher usually test every chapter and not group them together, but in college, the professors test like 4 chapters at once. That is so much information to remember at once.

College also has prevented me from working everyday. I only work like 5 days per week instead of everyday. College is so much more stressful than I imagined. I got to release all my stress from college on thanksgiving break, but I think the stress is coming back with all the work the professors are assigning. 🙁 Hopefully I can get above a C+ in all my classes!!

Throwing a surprise birthday dinner during Thanksgiving break… Such a great way to destress 🙂

Entering Baruch college was not what I was expecting. It’s not very different from high school considering there is no campus life. On Mondays through Thursdays, I do the same thing every day. I go to school and then go to work. I’ve tried looking around for clubs and be more active as a college student, but work has been getting in the way. I am still learning how to manage my time and use it wisely.

It is almost the end of the semester. It has been an okay experience. I’ve never written so many papers in such a small amount of time. Or at least it feels like a short amount of time…maybe because I procrastinate way too much. I’ve never spent so much money on transportation. I’ve never been so stressed about school. I’m not doing as good as I should be and my grades are reflecting on that. I’ve been trying hard to pick up my grades and I’m hoping it will pay off.

However, I am enjoying the freedom. I also really like having Fridays off. It’s nice to have an extra day to sleep in. I am enjoying being in the city. The dollar pizzas and other nice food places around Baruch are a plus. But buying lunch every day can be a little pricey. I try to bring my lunch as often as I can but sometimes I just don’t have time in the morning. Especially since I am always in a rush to get out of the house.

Next semester, I will definitely try harder and study at any time I can. Because I am so shy, I haven’t been making many friends. I will try to be more outgoing and make lots of new friends. I am looking forward to the upcoming years.

This was when Youn, me, and Tiffany took a picture during class.

(Get to know me; you’ve heard enough about my college experience :P)

Hi I’m Youn. From my last name, you can tell I’m Korean. I was born and raised in Queens but I still love being Asian. As I have said in class, I am shy and very awkward around new people. I think that’s my complex. I envy those who are outgoing and those who seem to know everyone. It also depends on my mood. If I’m happy or excited, I get loud and talkative. When I’m felling down, I talk to no one and I mean no one. Maybe that goes for everyone. Hm…

Growing up in Queens, Woodside to be exact, helped me meet a lot of different people. From Orientals to Indians, Hispanics to Irish, you’ll be amazed to find out where you neighbor is from. Since I attended public schools, I made friends from all over the world. It’s great to live in a diverse neighborhood.

With my friends, I get to experience many new things. I think it was seventh grade when I started hanging out after school or during vacations. Before that, I stayed home and didn’t bother sticking my foot out because I was lazy. I learned how to play handball, volleyball, pool, and other sports. All thanks to my friends. 🙂

When I’m home, I am most likely doing one out of four things: eating, sleeping, watching dramas, or nail art. The summer into senior year, I started working at my aunt’s nail salon as a cashier. It started as a summer job but now that I’m in college, she asked me to work during the weekend. I was quite surprised at how many colors and bottles of nail polish there were. Luckily, at the end of the summer, she offered to give me few of them. That’s when I started with my hobby

Rather than just painting my nails, I went online to look for designs. I’m still a beginner so I look for the simple ones. Whenever I painted my nails, I remember receiving a lot of compliments about them. It motivated me to continue. I’ve drawn bunnies, penguins, tuxedos, pandas, and other designs for the holidays.

Also during my free time, I would listen to music. I would sing and dance to them, but no one can see me. I’m alone, in my room, with the doors closed. I find music to be the best way to express my feelings. Dancing also gets me to exercise. 😀

Karaoke with some of my favorite people. 😀

When I visited Baruch College to pay my tuition in early August

At first, college life was not like what I thought it would be. When I was senior in high school, I asked my friend who is attending other CUNY about college experience. He said first few weeks of freshman year are very exciting with lots of free time and fun events. After hearing this, I just wanted to graduate fast and go to college to start fresh again.

College life so far for me is half positive and half negative. Talking about good parts first, I really enjoy having three day weekends. Even though I have job on Friday afternoon, I can have free time doing whatever I want. I can get a head start on school assignments and catch up with dramas and books. It feels good to be home when all my family members are out for work and school. The other good part is the location of college. I always loved Manhattan. It is full of fashion people and everyone is busy. It is a city that never dies. If I have time, I like to just walk on the streets and observe buildings and visit some great places in Manhattan.

Some negative parts of college are the excessive amount of work which gives me great pressure. High school semester was long with many chances to make up. However, college is only about three to four months. Midterm and final are there with short time in between and essays and projects makes me tired and sometimes frustrated. School work combined with a job as a tutor, teaching three kids almost every day makes it hard for me to enjoy college life.

In addition, attending college kept reminding me that I am now an adult. I am currently saving all my money from work for the next semester tuition. Now, I need to worry about money issues that I never really was concerned about before. Everything involves money such as transportation and lunch. I guess it is time to face the reality. I am almost there for my next tuition but I am planning to extend my job in December after this semester is finished. It will be hard but I am proud of myself for taking responsibility to prepare for future.

Even if college is full of work, I always look for enjoyment. I like college because it gives me an opportunity to try new foods and meet new people. I am getting used to the college environment and looking for helpful clubs. Since I always plan ahead for every events and never waste time, I am on a good track for a successful freshman year. As an adult, I hope to take more responsibility of my behaviors. I just don’t want to give excuses for what I didn’t do and this thought made me change my attitude toward certain issues.