As I find myself exploring a new chapter of my life, I ended up in The City That Never Sleeps. It seems that this new chapter is very foreign to me; I mean I spent 15 years of my life in the quite suburbs of Long Island. Coming to the city means that I am in a new environment and completely independent for the very first time. No one is here to constantly look over my actions, making sure I don’t do anything too stupid. No one is there reminding me to do the days readings or to do my homework. I have no one to ask, “What’s for dinner?” All this newfound responsibility falls onto my plate. I found myself learning skills no college course can teach me, like cooking and cleaning. Then I quickly discovered the differences between high school and college. Professors are not going to chase me down if I don’t do an assignment, it will just be reflected in my course grades. No one is here to coddle me along. College isn’t going to get easier and will most likely involve countless hours studying in the library and many late nights completing assignments. There will be times were I will just want to give up in the midst of a challenge, but that’s when it becomes an obstacle. I look forward to confronting these future challenges on my way to get a 3.8 GPA and to expand my horizons as an individual. In my four years at Baruch, I hope to hone the skills necessary for my career and life.

Sincerely

Gavin Li