FRO13 CRA

So far, college has been such an enriching experience. As someone who enjoys keeping things simple and not adapting well to change, I had a hard time getting used to the concept of “college”. The transition from high school into college is so drastic that it took me quite some time to really set into the college flow. Unlike high school, college give you so much freedom; the freedom to choose classes, the freedom to explore your campus, the freedom to have breaks like you’ve never had in high school and the freedom to be who you are. The biggest change in college opposed to high school is your own self control and will power. In other words, you have to show you want to learn and you have to try. No one is there to push you to do your best. Not the professors, not your parents, and not your friends. Of course, they wish you do your best. However, it is up to you to decide whether you want to give it your all or give up. College doesn’t “baby” you like high school did. People will not try if you don’t try the hardest yourself. This took a while to sink in for me. That’s why I’ve been feeling like I’ve been walking on thin ice. One mistake and I could be drowning in the cold water of my own failure. Until finals week is over, this feeling will not change, but what WILL change is my will and self control. I will try hard to ace my tests and I will succeed.

– Sangmi Cho

Attending the enrichment seminar was a new experience for me. Of course i’ve heard how important volunteering is and that it’s good to volunteer, but this workshop really helped me understand what volunteering does for everyone, not just the needy, but for the volunteer himself. I would love to be able to volunteer everyday and help out the needy as much as I can. However, my life revolves around so many things and I cannot seem to find the time to fully be convinced to devote my life to volunteering. It did feel nice though, helping the kids in the school that was affected my Hurricane Sandy and I would love to see those smiling faces again, but school, my job, family, and other things keep me occupied as a person and prevents me from going out of my way to help these people in need and that bothers me. On the other hand, however, what I WILL do is continue to be a good person. I will continue to respect and love others as I do now and do small things that will bring joy to those faces around me. This workshop reminded me that even though i don’t physically attend volunteering events, I AM volunteering everyday of my life in ways that I didn’t know myself.

– Sangmi Cho

College involves a lot more studying than high school

My first semester in Baruch was a breeze and went by so fast. I still can’t even believe one semester of college finished already! Of course, the work load in college has been really stressful because the workload in college is so much more compared to high school. The toughest challenge I faced so far is trying to pass math (calculus) simply because I never took it before in high school. But I do believe I will end up passing the class. On the better side, college has many breaks between classes, which is a good thing. I also met many cool new people in my classes and my socializing skills improved a lot more than before. One thing I plan on doing next semester is to join clubs and meet more people, along with getting better grades than this semester.

-Mo

http://www.brokenmindset.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/stress_headbang4.gif

These first three months at Baruch were definitely stressful. I am just adapting to this new environment. Honestly, compared to the work i get now, high school was such a joke. I really wish i was prepared more for such a drastic change. However, there were some positives. I made some friends as well learned new study habits. Trying to maintain a high GPA is a lot of work though. I’m still in shock that this is practically the end. Its kind of scary how fast it went. Anyways, i have become more independent; in college, you can’t really depend on anybody but yourself. So yea. That basically sums up my experience during this first semester. I’ll miss freshman seminar the most!

Through my first year at Baruch, I have learned that everything is about you. Like a collage, there are many different parts of an individual that create the whole. In the same way, there are different parts of a person’s college years that make up the whole person. Whether its through character traits or through the friendships that we make, our choices affect us the most. Every little aspect of my semester was my choice at the end of the day. Of course like any other individual, there were numerous ups and downs throughout the semester because every person has to be responsible for balancing themselves. Time management was a key factor that help me recreate my “true” self. Overall, I believe that the transition from high school to college was very easy because my high school prepared me very well and this important factor made me change my direction in life. Conclusively, Baruch helped me understand that challenges are what I need to face to feel satisfied. Accordingly, I feel more motivated to work harder because of this first semester.

Source:
http://download2.artensoft.com/artensoft_com/ArtensoftPhotoCollageMaker/gallery/Mark_Zuckerberg_Photo_Collage_1920.jpg

The enrichment workshop presented to us by Dr. Stephen from Stony Brook University was very informative and interesting. Ever since I was a young kid, I always loved volunteering and especially helping out others. Not only do you feel good after volunteering, you also love to see other people happy because of your effort. I’ve volunteered many times in my life. But the most memorable volunteer activities that stood out to me the most was the after- school activities I performed in clubs during my years in high school. The video presented by Dr. Stephen showed us how to live a happy and healthier lifestyle. He told us to always overcome negative aspects in life and to always move toward a positive attitude. I am looking forward to volunteering many more times throughout my upcoming years in college. It will definitely promote a happier and healthier life for not only me, but for others as well.

-Mo

The enrichment workshop was very entertaining. Volunteering not only brings smile to the faces of the people you help, but it also leads you to a happier and healthier life. In the video, Stephen said that certain illnesses like asthma can be suppressed by volunteering. In my life, I’ve volunteered twice, and both cases was because I had to, for school. I’m definitely going to try to volunteer more if it does promote a healthier life. What surprised me was the fact that after watching the video, Stephen stood up and was actually there the whole time. He’s funny and informative, and probably inspired a lot of people to volunteer, like me.

-Vincent Wang

The enrichment workshop was an enlightening experience. It really shows how far the values of charity can impact the world. I agreed with the ideas of our guest speaker Stephen Post. He stated that doing for others make you feel better about one self. I had a first hand experience of this feeling when I volunteer for New York Cares. I read to the little kids at a local public school in the Manhattan area. In opened by eyes that doing something as little as reading a story to a child can put a smile on people’s faces. The feeling of achieve after my act is what i believe StephenPost was talking about. His works has really inspired he to good out into the world and lend a helping hand. Even something little as helping a fellow classmate with Webwork, can be a helping hand to society. I really enjoyed my experience volunteering for New York Cares and will most likely do it agian.

-Michael Sukram

During the enrichment workshop yesterday, we were informed about the true benefits of community service and helping others just for the sake of helping. I can say that I definitely agreed with what the presentation focused on. I have to say that doing work for the benefit of others with nothing in return has its rewards. The New York Cares project, for instance, not only gave me the opportunity to volunteer my hours, but it also gave me the chance to get to know different people and remain in contact with my leader from the event, Lisa. I was able to just be a helping hand among many other people to make an event truly successful. The presentation yesterday reemphasized my feelings towards volunteering. I definitely feel like this isn’t going to be the last time I willingly volunteer.

-Sarah Olivo

The enrichment workshop was interesting. We were asked if we liked our experience with New York Cares. Personally, i loved when i volunteered with New York Cares. I love working with other people as well as meeting other people. Other than that, it was just a great experience and great view (it was a swimming event by the Hudson river). I would definitely volunteer for another event in the near future. Also, at the workshop we watched this video where basically it explained how although it seems as if the world is crashing in on you, there is always a way out. It kind of describes my current situation. This semester has been extremely stressful and i am still adapting to this new environment. But i know i will be free, at least for a bit after this semester ends and it will get better along the way. The enrichment workshop was definitely inspirational. The man also expressed how interacting with others can lead to happiness.