I have to admit the first few months were a little hectic for me. Trying to juggle class and a full-time job has been a little difficult. Our pre-cal course demanded way more time outside of class than I had. I felt a bit stuck, traffic jam stuck. Like I was taking on more than I could handle. But it’s about making sure to make class my first priority and learning how to efficiently manage my time.
The last couple of months… first started out with my parents constantly on the phone with me, asking if I was in Baruch on time… to me being completely on my own through it all. Waking up to the same sound of the my alarm clock everyday at 5am, getting dressed and sleeping on almost every train ride was what I’ve been dealing with these past couple of months. But I loved coming to the city, and the new things I encountered. It was defiantly hard getting adjusted to this kind of change, but gradually I realized where I needed to be. My transition in Baruch, I would say was a sense of reality. College isn’t at all like how high school was. Although we had block schedules that made it seem like high school, the work in each given class wasn’t at all the same. However, seeing the same faces over and over again made it feel comforting and easy– in a sense, but trying to manage my time accordingly was difficult. I’m not going to lie, it was a challenge adapting to the changes as an incoming freshman. The amount of work my math teacher gave me felt almost impossible to complete. The turnstiles were a pain in the neck and the elevators, I could swear to you was about to fall one time, from the amount of people that were on it. But you have no other choice but to get used to it. Fro class on the other hand, was more of a laid-back kind of class. I mean we had blogs like these to post but it wasnt so bad. Oh and lastly, I’ve never been so addicted to coffee ever since I started coming to Baruch. I just gotta say thanks, my heart has never raced so fast.
For my transition in Baruch, it was surprisingly not too bad. Amidst through all the college scary stories all my high school teachers told me, my first semester was pretty good. This is thanks mainly to the Block schedule I chose. Thanks to it being a monday-friday having a consistent time schedule, it made the transition seamlessly, integrating me to the school with a high school-like schedule for the first semester. The disparity between the educational difficulties between high school and college isn’t too great either. I guess the hardest part to get used to is self studying and the classes in the lecture hall. Being in a room of more than 100 students, it’s hard getting used to not have your professor personally be able to talk to you and help you in your troubles. It is encouraging self studying which I personally am not used to before as I had no trouble passing in high school. The routine of waking up and getting used to commuting to the city also took some time to get used to. The first three months of college really did fly by though thanks to the Fusion student organization of this school. Being Filipino, the club also made the transitions easier as well. Meeting fellow students with similar interests and cultural backgrounds, I fitted in really well. Going to their school events and even other school events that other clubs hosted made my college experience my college experience more whole. Some of the events include the Price of Life event, the Fear Factor, The Moon Festival, and even other very enjoyable events.
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My first three months at Baruch have been an easy transition from high school thanks to the block schedule. It’s given me the chance to adjust to the college environment and make friends with the people in my classes. I definitely feel more independent and confident now that I’m in college. My future is in my own hands from here. I haven’t had trouble with any class in particular, but that’s not to say that the workload isn’t heavier than in high school. There is a lot more homework and keeping up with deadlines. The commute is really getting monotonous and I miss sleep…A LOT. And I’ve gotten to try a lot of food places around the school that I wouldn’t have otherwise. But the one thing that I can’t seem to get over is procrastinating. I will tell myself I’m going to start something early, but then manage to distract myself with something else (like Johnny is). This is the reason I usually lose sleep; because I decide to do an essay last minute or study last minute. This is a REALLY bad habit that I’ve realized needs to be broken very soon because college is no joke. You have to stay on top of your things in order to succeed. But otherwise, I’ve enjoyed being a part of everything Baruch has to offer and I hope that it gets better.
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Most of my classes are fairly easy. I feel like the professors are decent and know how to teach. However, there are two classes that I just begin to stress myself over a lot. This picture represents me because everything I learn in class, I understand. I feel like the information given is not hard to process at all. As soon as I come home, I take about 30-45 minutes to go over what I did in math and try understand the purpose of the lesson. However when it comes to the test, I panic and feel as if the things we were taught in class was a complete waste. In high school, it was much easier to get a hold of your teacher and be able to clearly ask them the questions you wanted to be answered. In college this is not the case because with my schedule so tight, it is hard to stay after class to ask few questions. I definitely know that I should at least have some time between my classes for questions or concerns. My business test is one of those tests that I study so hard for, but end up doing very bad in. I don’t want my GPA to go down. I am thinking of working twice as hard and getting to those high grades I am trying to strive for.
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It was fairly easy to adjust to Baruch college because the block schedule is similar to my high school schedule. But with the semester being a lot shorter than my high school one, I find myself cramming for exams often. I know it is a bad habit of mines and I’m trying to get rid of it but with so much to study and not enough time I find myself falling behind in one of my classes. However, this time I’m hoping to study beforehand and pick up my grade. This clock signifies how fast these three months flew by. Time is always ticking and if I don’t use it wisely, I’m going to waste my time doing nothing. But I’m determined to find a good study habit and do well in all my classes. Overall, these three months has been okay, I was able to make friends by working in the school as well as interacting with my classmates. The library and computer lab are great places to study in and I always find myself spending hours there just to study or to kill time. I hope with the variety of opportunities Baruch provides, I will be able to gain experience that will help me out when it’s time to face the real world.
Every single morning
When I first started college a few months ago my expectation was that the workload would be very difficult. I’m not saying that the amount of work is easy, but it is nothing to write home about. However the work is very time consuming, much more so than I had expected. Throughout high school I always did the bare minimum amount of work to get by. Sure I could have done all the homework, but why would I when I could receive an acceptable grade without the effort? However now that I’m in college I am constantly striving to do better and get higher marks on all my assignments. In order to do this I must be able to sacrifice a lot of time, not only time spent with friends but also time spent sleeping? Is it a good trade in my opinion? No. But I have to deal with it regardless. I’m never so tired that I am unable to function, but there are many times in the afternoon when I feel like I could use a few extra hours of sleep. Unfortunately this isn’t always possible.
The first three months at Baruch made me miss sleeping. I usually don’t get any sleep the night before an exam because I am up frantically studying, trying to memorize and understand everything. Writing all those papers take me forever and by the time I finish, it’s already around 4am. I can’t blame my lack of sleep entirely on Baruch though because I also have to work after class and on weekends. Although I have been stressed and missing precious hours of sleep, Baruch has given me many opportunities to meet different people and make new friends. Overall, the first three months were pretty good other than the fact that I have no time to sleep.
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So far, my experience at Baruch hasn’t been much of a change from my high school, so it was easy to adjust to. However, I enjoy the short days, the freedom to pick classes and the independence that comes along with going to college. With my three months of going to Baruch, I can tell that it has a lot to offer. There are many opportunities available for students to try and better themselves, something I really appreciate. I like all the clubs and school activities always going on because it shows the diversity and school pride at Baruch. I’m most looking forward to taking classes I have an interest in and finding something I really enjoy doing. The GIF I chose represents my start of the semester and what I think the end of it will be like. The beginning of the school year went by very smoothly and quickly for me. With upcoming finals though, I think I’ll have trouble managing my time to study for all my classes. The finals are the hardest part because students are forced to remember everything they learned, so the end of the year will definitely not be enjoyable for me.
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This picture depicts my journey from the airport to Manhattan for the first time ever. Being this college experience is completely new to me and is understandably the same for my peers, I somewhat feel more bedazzled however as it is something I have never even imagined being a part of. My first 3 months in Baruch have been fairly manageable. This road leading to one of the most majestic cities in the world can compare to many experiences I have had in the past months such as the journey I have been on with the Baruch Soccer team. I sprained my ankle at the early stages of the season, which was a setback. This meant I had to sit out a number of games. However, I managed to regain my match fitness and helped the team go unbeaten in the conference and amazingly win the CUNYAC Championship Final. This personally equates to stepping into NYC for the first time. All the studying I have done also conveys the journey, and my goal is to reach great heights academically and athletically. If I carry on with this willingness to succeed, I will feel like I am on a road that leads to an amazing place.
