FRO13 LC15

College, I must say, is a mixed experience. I love coffee, making friends that don’t judge you when you wear the same jeans for two weeks straight, singing Christmas carols mid-November, bringing in your 3DS to play Pokemon between classes, getting to eat a different culture’s food every afternoon, all of it. I hate business school. Why am I here? Oh yes, money. I hate those people who walk in the doors wearing their dress shirts and suits, with overpriced Prada oxfords and wool socks. These business-y type individuals who think they’re the new Donald Trump, were born to balance taxes, or enjoy insurance policies. Who do you think you are? Your position as a Baruch student has gone to your head and you lack the explosive personality necessary to make college what college needs to be; actually fun. I chose this gif of Chloe(somewhat of an internet sensation, might I add) to express how I feel about people who become their majors and futures without first enjoying the collegiate atmosphere. You’re in one of the most populous schools in the most culturally enriching cities in the world. Take off your overpriced business outfit, put down your iPhone, throw away your calendar, and sing through the hallways. Spend too much money on chocolate. Drink so much coffee you get heart palpitations. Enjoy it.

Brain: “You’re in college Marium.”

Denial: “Pffft. What is the ‘coll-age’ you speak of?”

Unfortunately, this is a conversation I have with myself almost everyday. I thought that once college came around I would be able focus, and that workload was going to be really big, but unsurprisingly I was wrong. I didn’t make a miraculous change in work ethic; The Walking Dead and The Office marathons continued, and my procrastination was reaching an all time high. I think the late classes and my current schedule has enabled my terrible habit, and I feel like unless someone systematically destroys the Internet and all televisions  around the world. I channel Dory from Finding Nemo every time the clock strikes seven. That’s my “Cinderella” transformation; I become a potato that only responds to funny cat videos and pictures of Honey Boo-Boo Child. My potato state is worrisome, but the fact that I am in college is slowly beginning to dawn on me. Will I forever be a potato or will I embrace my reclusive responsible self? I’m getting quite tired of being a starch, so perhaps there will be a metamorphosis; there is always hope (sorta).

The effects of my terrible study habits were minimized by my wonderfully pestering friends, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. The best part of my first few months of Baruch was most definitely the friends I’ve made in our LC. When I first came to Baruch I didn’t think I would find people that shared the same interests and sense of humor as I did, but within the first few days of classes in our first semester I found my niche, my buddiesssssss.

My favorite thing about this semester was slowly getting to know most people in our LC. It feels like each week I begin talking to someone new and finding out really interesting things about him/her. While I was upset during the summer that I did not get to choose my schedule, I’m glad our LC took most of our classes together. When school began this semester, I had no idea what to think of my new peers. I recognized a few faces from high school but mostly followed around M-Dizzle and Mr. Chian (when he wasn’t paying attention).  Over the course of this semester, I got to know people from my high school better than I had in four years. That’s right Christina, now I know where you live. Muahahahah! I’m definitely going to miss having class with the people in our LC. You guys are funny, kind and intelligent with just the right amount of $ass. This meme very nicely encompasses how I feel, in a not patronizing way, whenever I get to know someone in our LC.

I came to Baruch thinking it would be very similar, in fact too similar, to high school. As it turns out, I was wrong but in a good way. I have so much free time compared to high school. The workload is very manageable and it’s nothing like being stuck in a chair eight hours a day. There is so much freedom that comes with having a four hour break between classes. Also once freshman seminar is over, I want to get involved with clubs at Baruch. It’s hard to build strong bonds at a commuter school but the clubs here definitely make a difference. Many clubs have strong professional connections that give their members an edge. In addition, I’m a lot more appreciative of the Dean’s Scholar Program now. Graduating debt free is a blessing in itself, but having priority registration and specific advisement hours is something I wouldn’t receive at most other schools.

When is LC karaoke going down?

College was a big transition from high school. I quickly realized that the workload was much bigger and there was less and less time to be wasted as the year progressed. In high school, there was usually some downtime between papers and projects, however, in college, it has been paper after paper with readings crammed in between. It took a lot of adjustment to get used to the changes. This meant studying harder and managing my time wisely, which didn’t always work out as planned, but somehow I’ve gotten through most of this first semester with only a few bumps and bruises.

Going into college also meant leaving behind a home that I got to know so well over the last four years and finding a new niche for myself at Baruch. Having a learning community like LC15 made the transition a lot easier. For a commuter like myself, it became the dorm room of my college experience, a home I could retreat to after wandering the floors of a vertical campus. The friends that I’ve made and experiences that I’ve had so far have really made my decision to go to Baruch worthwhile.

Source: http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=39087

source : http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=80600

These first few months at Baruch have been awesome.  I’ve made new friends, learned new things, and so much more.  But, there is still one thing that I still haven’t learned very well – time management.  Look at the poor dog getting bombarded with socks.  I feel like this some nights – with essays to be written, readings to be read, and tests to be studied for.  The work isn’t even that difficult; I just find myself putting things off until the very last minute.  I am up during the wee hours of the night scrambling to get all my work done before the sun rises (What is  sleep?) all because of procrastination.  Even this blog post, I’m posting past midnight, the day it’s due. Hopefully, my time management skills improve soon, or I just might become some sort of walking dead.

Anurag Sen: http://sites.psu.edu/anurag2012/2013/03/15/betchallenge-5/

College has proved to be a completely different experience from what I had grown accustomed to in high school. But the one thing that really threw me off was trying to find a way to balance schoolwork, sleep and a social life. In the matter of three months, I have gone through a roller coaster of all of the above situations, excluding the elusive balance of all three at the same time. The amount of work, all the new people and places to see, and the natural human desire to sleep every once in a while, I have learned, just do not work well together. Aside from this constant struggle, I have surprisingly enjoyed my time in Baruch thus far.  I was worried that going to a commuter school would mean that I would likely not make any friends, and that my college life would consist of going to class, maybe the library and then right back home. But, fortunately, I have already met a ton of a great people, made a few strong friendships that I’m sure will continue to grow for the rest of our time here, and most importantly, I have learned a lot about myself. To say the least, it’s been a struggle but I’m definitely not as disappointed as I thought I would be.

Credit goes to – http://cheezburger.com/6598884608

I hate to say it but this has been a lot of my first semester. Not everyday of course but there have been days. sometimes its just so difficult to stay awake especially now since I’m a big boy in college and no longer have a bed time. There’s also those days when the lecture is just not that captivating. Overall though my first semester at the school has been pretty great. I’m happy to say that i made some friends that i hope to keep although we’re all probably going to be in different classes. there have been a lot of jokes exchanged that have contributed to keeping me awake. Also the group gatherings for meals before classes could be to blame for putting me very close to sleep I’m sure everyone knows about the “itis”. I hope that the next semesters to come will be just as good if not better and i really do hope to improve on my staying awake skills.

http://weknowmemes.com/generator/meme/YAY,-TAKE-ALL-MY-MONEY/585/

Since I’ve started college at Baruch, I have sent a huge donation to Dunkin’ Donuts, Topman, Baruch Dinner, Baruch Bookstore, and the $1 pizza store. Yes, they’ve all received a lot of money from me.  They’ve received all together an approximated $1500 which makes me want to scream. Well I guess spending money is apart of the college experience or perhaps college will help me find out how to spend money. Being at school for 7 hours does bring a craze for energy drinks and coffee to stay awake. However being in the city, their are plenty of distractions. Every Thursday during club hours I head to Soho to look around but end up spending about $30 every time. I don’t want to spend money but I’m beginning to believe it’s a natural thing to do. During my time at Baruch I’ve developed skills that in the future will help me when it comes to handling money. My first semester is challenging but adjustments could be made.

Source: http://global3.memecdn.com/ylvis—the-fox_o_2268741.jpg

This is how my LC spent our first semester. Most people showed up, got along, and somewhat did their own thing. Then there is this small group that does nothing but ask “What does the Fox Say?” Once they grew tired of that, they moved on to other songs. They pretty much do nothing other than have pointless conversations and sing horribly off-key. I must admit, this group was annoying. Also, I am part that group. And I like it. Meeting new people is perhaps the greatest part of my first semester. The friends I have made is greatest part of my freshman year so far, and I look forward to making new ones in my upcoming years at Baruch.

I found the enrichment workshop quite thought provoking by its ability to review my outlook on the impermanence of life. I’m the type of person who feels pride in having something to show for hard work. When I exercise, I train to constantly improve myself and be able to look back and see my progress. But witnessing the monks working on a project made of sand that they would later just sweep away was interesting. But while I do realize that nothing in life is really permanent, I still feel as though what they did is pretty pointless. In essence, they just wasted about 19 hours, unless they found the drawing itself to be fun. I cannot speak for them, but I know that I would find 19 hours of a monotonous task quite boring and pointless unless it actually contributed something to my life (i.e. studying or exercising). So while I found the experience itself quite enjoyable, I cannot agree with the monks’ view on impermanence.