Ever since high school everyone here has been hearing everything about choosing a college that is right for you. Well sure we have all chosen to attend Baruch, but our college experience truly starts when you first enter the doors. I have always thought that college was hard work and no fun. But in fact during my time here there is a lot of hard work and surprisingly fun. There were many new interesting faces, which through time I have learned to remember their names and who they are. There is always something you can do, you just have to find it. The only thing I dislike about college is the long commute to the school. I have never spent so much time on a train getting bored of doing absolutely nothing until it was my stop to get off. I am sure that everyone feels the exact same way about commuting back and fourth everyday. However this is something that we all have  to get use to and some how make it more enjoyable. We have to cope with the new freedoms and responsibilities of being a college student perusing our goals. 

I vividly recall myself saying “No way I’m going to stay in the city! CUNYs are for chumps!” sometime during the college process.

As it turns out, I am a chump (and a hypocrite).

The reason I was so vehemently against going to a college in the city was because of a notion I had that commuter school was going to suck. A friend of mine who was a year ahead of me warned me not to go to Baruch, as it was basically high school all over again.

The thought of that made me shudder. I didn’t want to be around high school kids! I wanted to be whisked away to a small private liberal arts school in the heart of Nowhere, Ohio. I didn’t want to stay in New York eating bagels, while all of my other friends went to their 40k-a-year schools, drinking black coffee and meddling with hallucinogens.

Unfortunately, all of my panic resulted in me getting nowhere in the college process. I was so unprepared in terms of researching schools, I decided to just go for a CUNY.

Both my aunts graduated Baruch, and neither of them are panhandling right now. So how bad can it be, right?

Comic done by Nadine Redlich

(It’s me, basically)

College was the start to something new.

Yet the sky was still blue.

I couldn’t believe high school was over, oh how time flew.

Big dreams, bigger school and even bigger crowds to push through.

In the middle of New York City, this was nothing new.

Except there was one thing missing, my crew.

But why does no one ever stop to look at the view.

I became one of those people and I realized I grew.

High school classes became a lecture you have to sit through,

No more raising your hand if you need to use the loo,

Or using excuses, everything was on you.

Yet taking the trains, still make me feel like I’m visiting a zoo.

All the work had made it seem I had bit off more than I can chew,

And the loss of sleep made me question if I used shampoo.

So I turned to those around me to find a clue.

Little did I knew we shared similar points of view.

Oh what a break through.

Suddenly the butterflies were gone too.

It could have been the caffeine my body needed to adapt to.

Caffeine made me feel like doing Kung Fu,

But the cost with food, caused a rue.

In the end, college will be something I subdue.

I like to travel, as I’m curious about the world and what it has to offer. I love going on adventures and finding places I’ve never seen before, often bringing others a long with me to enjoy the ride.

I’ve been always afraid to not know what is coming or what I am about to face. In Russia, students usually go to the same school for the entire time and so have I. I’ve been with the same people in the exact same school for 11 years where I knew everybody and where everybody knew me. And here is college. Can you imagine my feelings? I was terrified before it started 100 times more than you did. I had no idea who I was going to meet or what professors were going to teach me in my very first semester. However, the first days of college proved that I was wrong. I realized that the majority of people were actually nice and very tolerant towards international students. That’s why in this blog post I want to thank all of my classmates and all of my professors for being so kind to me. I learn something new every day not only because I do assignments but because I communicate and interact with you. You help me explore New York City and dive into American traditions. With your help I found out what BS-ing was or why I should not go to the “gentlemen’s club” if I was looking for the bathroom despite the attractive title. Every minute in college around you brings something new to my life. And it’s amazing because I think that a person would feel like home no matter where he is if he’s spending his time with right people. Big thanks to all of you – you’re the people that make me feel like home.

For four years I have been hearing the same words “when you get to college…” and all I could do is imagine what that means. I feel like everyone can relate to those words. Well, here we are we made it to college, now what? No one really ever knows what to expect when coming to college. There is no guideline to tell us how to get used to this new place. As Freshmen we all share the same feelings. Some of us are scared, some are excited, and some of us can’t really describe how we feel. I was definitely not as excited as some of my friends were about going to college. I was not a fan that I have to go to this place were I barely know anybody. My friends always asked if I was okay with the idea of commuting and I said yeah should be easy. HELL NO. Commuting is a b****. But I guess I got used to it. Then convocation day came and everything was starting to come together. I felt that I was not alone on this journey. It was actually comforting because we were all starting from the same point. No one really knew each other, but as classes went on that started to change. College has been an interesting journey so far and its going to be interesting where it is going to take me.

Ah college a new chapter in life…

New York City, a city like none other. Look at all the different people here. I have never seen so much diverse ethnicity and culture in one place. Iwonder who I am going to hang out with, or at least say hi.

Oh look there are a couple of girls right there. Should I approach them? Will I look like a freak?

Wait she has a nametag on, let me check that name on facebook and add her there.

Ah there she is, add friend!

Notification oh she accepted my friend request… horray Progress! Well that was quick..

Should I facebook chat her? Is it too soon? Ahh I think way too much. Ill just type it.

Hi. Send. Oh my god I have made a terrible mistake!

Notification ah she replied hey

How’s it going? Nice to meet you.. Well that went better than I expected

Now I just need to ask her out, go on a couple dates, become a couple, get engaged, and finally get married.

That escalated quickly… I should hold my horses, college is a 4-year experience and I should not get too excited

Along the way I’ll meet different friends and different people, there’s nothing to rush on, I will experience many different things that I’ll remember throughout my life

I cannot wait to go to college in this crazy city called New York

Up until the moment you enter the building for the first time, “the college experience” is a phrase of endless possibilities. No one ever gives you a clear understanding of what it means, or what college will be like. Everyone’s experience differs greatly, but there is one thing that unifies us all, the exposure. The exposure to new ideas, people, and resources. It is as if you are a fish placed outside of water; rushing to adapt and familiarize yourself with this huge scope of reality you are now a part of. Along the way, you make friends and meet people who have walked in your shoes and slowly the setting that seemed so overwhelming in size and context starts to feel like home. Your anxieties subside as you begin to transition into the world as an individual. Having unique experiences aiding your potential to succeed. This is what “the college experience” holds for me, new friends and new anxieties. But although classes are harder now and it is difficult to adjust to the workload and time manage that is required of you, it is always pleasant to feel that you are not alone. That your new friends and peers share your worries and with each others help you somehow manage to break out of your comfort zone. Quickly finding yourself experiencing life beyond school, as you are urged to establish your own unique path. But in the end, it is the sense of new beginning that college brings that allows for the confidence to know that it will all be okay.