This GIF shows exactly what I do when I get home. Ever since I started college, I have not been getting enough sleep. Back in high school, I do everything last minute but I can still manage to get the work done. Now in college, I realize I cannot do that anymore. A lot of the work has to be done in a great amount of time and put in a great amount of effort. I notice that my time management skill is very terrible. Because I finish my work late at night, I don’t get enough sleep. Because I don’t receive enough rest the night before, I become very tired the next day and when I get home, I go take a nap. Taking a nap for me is at least three hours wasted and I would finish my work late again. The pattern repeats daily and it’s becoming a habit which causes me to get rid of it harder. Sleeping is not a problem for me; I can fall asleep right away when I get home to my bed. I know this is a bad habit and I can tell from the results of my test grades. On the days when there are tests, essays, or speech, I only have a few hours of sleep and I perform poorly. I should stop procrastinating and set a goal to get at least seven hours of sleep everyday.

My favorite memory in Freshman Seminar class is when we had to write down the difficulties of the classes and what we didn’t like about it. We divided into groups and each of the group was in charge of noting down the difficulties of one class that we all have. The things people wrote down for every class was very true. During the process, I find it funny sometimes and I was glad to find out that I was not the only one that have those opinions on the classes. In the end, the advices we gave to each other and the tips on getting a better grade in class was very helpful. I know now the different tactics I can use to perform better in class.

Next semester, I predict that the classes will be a lot more harder to pass than now. I hope that my procrastination will stop and I can develop a better study habit. Maybe by next semester, I have already master my time managing skill. I can finish my work earlier and enjoy more sleeping time at night. I should set a goal for myself to get at least seven hours of rest each night and do not work on essays or study last minute. Hopefully, I can maintain my average and never fail a course. I never want to retake any class and have a F grade on my transcript. I just wish to pass every class and get into the business school of Zicklin. Other than doing well academically, I also wish to be more active in extracurricular activities such as clubs and maybe in Team Baruch.

http://callherhappy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/PicMonkey-Collage5-1024×1024.jpg

I think this picture epitomizes how I feel about college right now because I really did not expect what I ultimately got. There have been nights that I have not slept at all to get a grade in return that I did not deem worthy for all the hours that I have studied. And, I am just ready to go on my one week vacation after finals because I decided I’m actually going to take winter classes (lol).

One thing that I learned about myself in Baruch is that, I should be competitive and take risks. I have heard so many stories of people applying to places that they were not qualified for, and truly faking it till they make it. And then succeeding. I feel like that’s such an inspiration that I get here at Baruch, to be surrounded by so many people who just want something so bad and believe in themselves so much that they can make other people believe in them. I want to become one of these people, instead of just being happy with what I have, I want to greed to always want something more.

One thing that I look forward to next semester is being able to meet different people in my classes. (I love you block). But, I think college is a time to create networks and it’s hard if you’re stuck in the same circle all the time. I’m also excited because I got to choose my own classes and professors, (the process of making your own schedule is equally as stressful as the classes themselves). Other than that, I’m excited because I’ll have club hours both Tuesday and Thursdays so that’ll give me more opportunity to open myself up and introduce myself to a larger group of people! 🙂

Since the summer, I knew coming into college was going to change almost every aspect of my life. Well, I was wrong; college changed all aspects of my life. As much as I want to curse the school and most of my professors (exception being Randy!) I believe that these past three months has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. However, this opinion will probably change very soon once finals week rolls around.

Sleep has never been a problem for me. You can spot me counting sheep anytime past 9:30(most weekends too-#turnup) and anywhere ranging from the floor to the shower and even at supper. Regardless of what comes the next day, I will be able to fully prepare for it without my beauty sleep. So that leaves me to choose between either having a social life and good grades.

Occasionally, on the weekends I do visit my friends but no matter how great the time is I end up regretting it. This is because of all the work and studying I could have done that I now have to make up for. When my girlfriend comes over we agree to study together and help each other with assignments. This composes of my social life outside of school. Inside of school, I have many friends whom I share similar interests with and inside jokes. These friends steal my food, play basketball with me, and spot me at the gym. After three short months, the strangers I met in the beginning of the year quickly became some of my close friends.

Finally, we come to good grades… I’ll let you know more about this when I get them.

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/36kcec

This picture describes my experience at Baruch this semester. This is because I am always stressed and it seems like there is not a time when I am not. Oddly enough, stress is what keeps me going and pushes me to stay on top of all my assignments and responsibilities. Even though I am stressed, I am pretty excited for the rest of the college years to explore what I can before I have to start working.

After coming to Baruch, I have learned that time management is great tool to being successful because being able to balance school, sports and life is hard but it’s worth it when you plan ahead. Also, after coming here, I have learned that it is going to be hard work. But no matter, how hard it might get, you can get through it. I also have learned that Baruch was the right choice for me after all. In the beginning, I was not so sure if I was going to like it here, but after this semester, I have really come to like Baruch and am glad I chose to come here. It is a place to where there is a balance on getting educated, being a part of extracurricular activities and a place to build lifetime memories with new friends. I have learned a lot about myself over these past couple months.

My favorite memory in the FRO class was the class on academic success strategies. This is because in this class, we discussed the problems that we were all having in the same classes we are taking. We all seemed to have similar problems and it was good figuring out ways to overcome these problems and do better in these classes. It was also one of the only times that we, as a class, were able to work on a project together in groups because majority the time in our classes, even though we are in a block, we were always assigned individual assignments and did not get to know our classmates very well. I thought that it was good that we were able to work together and be able to try to get through our obstacles as freshmen together.

What I look forward to in my next semester are my new classes that I have chose and the schedule I picked out. I also look forward to trying to join a new club next semester. This is because now, I can pick out classes that work to my schedule. I picked classes that are earlier so I can get an easier commute before rush hour and also gives me time to do a lot of my studies before practice. Also, with my times I chose, I can give myself more free time to do other things. Also, I am looking forward to classes that are entering the field of my major like BUS 1000 and LAW 1001. I am excited to start learning about my intended major so I can start trying to get internships.

-Jaclyn Thammakhoune

I chose this gif to represent my first semester at Baruch. The poor guy looks so overwhelmed and that’s exactly how I feel. I remember when I was a freshman in high school and the sophomores in my geometry class recalled how easy the ninth grade was and I just sat there like…you mean it gets worse than this? I always make things harder than they should be and I think Im doing that again this semester. I can have a simple assignment to do but I just overreact and waste so much time on something that would take an average person half that. I have two desks in my room and they both somehow end up looking like the gif. I also kind of like how the guy doesn’t know where to start, and that’s how I am too. The week after Thanksgiving is going to be so hectic because I have so many things due and I feel like I’m going to be eating turkey while proofreading my papers.      I have been dreading the month of December since I got my syllabi.

Something I learned about myself since I started college was that I need to stop comparing myself to others. Each professor has their own grading policies and style of teaching that I may not be used to and that I can’t just compare myself to someone who got a better grade than me. I need to learn that those who try even harder than me will receive a better grade, if I try harder then I’ll get a better grade. Something that gets me angry is when someone who brags about barely working on it gets a better grade than I am. I guess that’s just another thing I need to learn, about how unfair life is, oh well.

My favorite moment from FRO was when we were able to split into groups to discuss how we felt about our professors and the classes themselves. It was very interesting to see what everyone had to say about our classes and to see their advise as to how to deal with some of the issues. Some of my favorite comments were about how someone complained that there weren’t enough chairs in one of our classes and it just seemed like a weird thing to complain about and it was even funnier when someone just told them to get to class earlier. They were some minor issues but that just showed how we don’t really take ourselves too seriously.

There isn’t really something I look forward to for next semester because, yes, you guessed it, I”m already stressing over it. It took me two hours to register for classes and I almost didn’t get a class I wanted and it was just a stressful event and there isn’t anything that is making me feel excited. I’m excited about not having two hour gaps anymore and finishing some of the required classes. I guess I’ll see the sooner I get to the date.

College Meme – Lucas Nehemiah

The meme that I chose [linked above] is pertinent to what I went through in my first semester in college. Literally everything that my professor says, I write it down, whether or not it will be tested or quizzed on. Maybe it’s the fear of it appearing on an exam (even though the professor specifically said it won’t be) or maybe I’ve been doing it all of my life.

After spending three months at Baruch, I found it to be a very liberating experience. I’ve found that I needed to plan ahead like crazy. Having been a decent, organized student throughout high school, I usually planned maybe a month or two in advanced. But after seeing the amount of classes I have to take for my major, attending general meetings for my profession, constantly hearing about the need to get an internship for my Junior year or Senior year, all of it made me take a step back and literally reevaluate my whole life. As exaggerated as it sounds, I know for a fact that four years will go by so quickly and if I don’t have a concise and tactful plan for each semester, I’ll be left with a college degree in search of a job alongside thousands of people who are in my shoes. So when all my professors talk about planning ahead or making sure you pay attention to all the opportunities offered in college besides the education, I really took that to heart this semester.

As cheesy as it sounds, my favorite memory in FRO is getting our planners. I live by my planner. If I lose it right now, it would literally break my world because it has all my plans and due dates for this semester and next semester. I’ve always used planners during high school, and it was amusing to find that the planner Baruch gave was from the exact same brand that I used throughout high school. Despite this materialistic memory, it was my favorite because it allowed me to layout all the ideas, plans, and priorities I have bundled in my head (which I’ll probably forget in the next hour). The feeling of gratitude when I held the planner was immense.

Looking forward, I’m ready to officially be on my own. Being in a block has been such an amazing experience. Getting to know some pretty amazing people and having at least two or three classes with them has been great. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without them. It’s bittersweet. The fact that I probably won’t see them anymore next semester and that I won’t have classes with any of them is so disheartening. But at the same time, I know that they’ll all be doing well with their career path in Baruch and that in four years, we’ll all be (hopefully) graduating and moving on with the next step of our lives. I know this is looking a bit too much forward, but I felt it all connected to next semester. In short, I’m ready to do even better next semester than I did right now. A fresh start is what I need and I can’t wait to rock it.

For our third and last blog post, choose a picture, meme, GIF, short video clip or other visuals (email to confirm if you choose something that was not listed) that describes your experience at Baruch this semester. Explain what you learned about yourself after coming to Baruch, your favorite memory in our FRO class and what you will look forward to in your next semester. This should be at least 500 words.

Be sure to complete this assignment BEFORE our next and last class to receive credit!

My expectations for college weren’t all met. Going to college, I expected an easy grade and a fun time here.  I expected easy transition from high school to college. I expected many things, things that didn’t happen. This school was harder than expected. Getting those high grades wasn’t as easy as expected. I had to work a lot harder compared to the easy life I assumed was here. Transition from high school to college, however was a lot easier. I didn’t have to live a dorm life nor did I have to do anything out of the ordinary. It was the same life as high school, commuting for an hour to class. Right after I head to work and I head home when work ends. The same ol’ routine everyday. The social life is also much bigger than I expected. There are more clubs and things to do. Although I’m exploring my options now, I didn’t expect such a hard time to join a club. Baruch taught me that things are never as you expect and you should prepare for the unexpected.

Before Baruch, I didn’t know what to expect.

I was nervous, terrified even

As I walked up to Baruch.

My top priority was getting good grades

And I didn’t care about anything else.

I viewed college in the same way that I viewed high school:

As four years of school

Where you tried to get the best grades

In order to move on to the next step.

But I learned that college is much more than that.

College is what sets the stage for the rest of your life.

You meet new friends,

Get harder classes,

And work on building your resume.

This is the time where you have to choose your classes wisely,

Decide on a major,

And most importantly,

Manage your time wisely.

You have more freedom,

But also more responsibility,

And it’s your job to balance the two.

But in Baruch,

You’re not completely alone.

You have the SACC,

STARR,

A peer mentor,

And your peers

Who you can always reach out to.

So try to make the most of College,

Because you’re going to be here

For a while.

I honestly don’t know how, but Baruch has already helped me grow out of the shell I like to call, “my high school self.” In this brief period of time, I have managed to make more friends/connections than I expected, try new foods and activities that I wouldn’t see myself trying, and learned how to dress in a way that doesn’t make me look like a total schlump. I also learned something very important in my short-lived experience at Baruch so far… NEVER take an 8:15 a.m. class again, especially since I commute from bumblefuck Long Island every morning. I’ve been tardy several times, and even missed a couple of classes, throughout this semester because I regularly miss the early express train and have to wait 40 minutes for the next one to arrive. On behalf of all college kids who suck at waking up in the morning, I would just like to say that early morning classes are a giant pain in the ass. In all seriousness though, I learned to appreciate Baruch’s method of welcoming incoming freshmen into the community; and I’m referring to the Block system just in case it wasn’t clear. Thanks to the Block system, I have befriended some great, funny, intelligent people who I hope I stay in touch with as my exciting journey at Baruch continues.