FRO 14 LC03

The first couple months of college had a few bumps in the road, but nothing major. I finally felt like I was getting used to college life. Sadly this was not the case because Midterms Week was approaching.  The first week of November, I had three exams and  a three hundred page history book to read. Thankfully, I studied in advance to not be overwhelmed by the stress. This meme reminds me of what I just went through and what I will be going through for the rest of college. However, I don’t look at this week as something to despise. Given this opportunity I have the chance to prepare for the future.  For one thing my time management has greatly improved. I am realizing that scheduling ahead of time is definitely more efficient then just doing things as the day goes by. Hopefully Finals Week will just be a stroll in the park.

Source: http://www.quickmeme.com/img/b6/b6f0e1ffd33852f7625d27b44f0681af3dac8a425ad8218cf317dfb4dda61308.jpg

College, oh college. Why have you failed me? I have to admit that my expectations for college were disappointing. Everyone always asks me how my first semester of college is going. However, I never  know how to respond. I could be a Debby Downer and say, “College feels like death,” but that’s not always the case. Lunch buddies to eat with and friends to study with, and free Friday’s isn’t something I can complain about. Maintaining a 3.2 GPA was harder than I thought, and the stress that came with it was even more, but getting through it with friends was comforting. I know I still have a lot to learn about myself and I guess that’s just part of the college experience. 

http://stellachiu.tumblr.com/image/103058366346

My Life in a Nutshell

School has always been easy. Let me rephrase that. High school has always been easy. I came in, I breathed, I got the A; consciousness not required. College is not easy. It feels like no matter how hard I work, or how much I study, my grades just aren’t where I want them to be. I came in expecting that 4.0 (or at least something close it). What I got was its reciprocal (or at least something close it). But I take responsibility for this though. It’s no one’s fault but my own (except maybe in Sociology *cough*), and maybe I have to figure out what I need to do differently. There isn’t a lot of time left in the semester for me to do this, but maybe the deadline desperation will help inspire me to become a better student. What’s the point of giving up after coming this far, right?

I picked this picture because it is an accurate description of my face at certain points during the semester. These past few months at Baruch have had its positive and negative aspects. On the positive note I met some great people that I now consider good friends. I have come to learn and understand the subway system and utilize to the fullest my campus: New York City. However, I unfortunately had a bit of a struggle when it came to my schoolwork. I thought I could use the same methods (procrastination) I used in high school and still get good grades. This is where I begin to look like Shia in this picture. I wasn’t getting sleep, eating right or even doing as well as I wanted. College is definitely a learning experience and I can honestly say time management, healthy habits and utilizing the resources at school is important. I don’t know who told me college is way easier than high school but with the right study habits and great friends it’s not so bad.

https://www.google.com/search?q=shia+labeouf+hows+your+semester+going&biw=1334&bih=500&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WqhsVJKzIMfdsAT__4GYBA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=mH0yf8Tw-XeWhM%253A%3B3qMOlrDiM6BSdM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fpbs.twimg.com%252Fmedia%252FBz_K8xCCQAAFfdy.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Ftweetlikeagiri%252Fstatus%252F522359227697074176%3B600%3B329

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz5360cAXV1r0p8d9o1_r1_400.jpg

The first week of November marked the middle of the semester and that meant midterms. From struggling to find a seat in the library to studying for hours on end at night, I worked relentlessly. I have always had this work ethic but in order to prepare for my midterms, I tried making that extra push to ensure that I get that 4.0. Textbooks, practice exams, and in class notes were all spread out across my desk and I was constantly flipping through pages and tried to retain as much information as possible. However, at the same time, I also lost focus by checking my Instagram, viewing YouTube videos, and watching episodes of Shark Tank and American Greed. I feel as though this experience has greatly helped me and has prepared me to know what to do and what not to do during finals week.

Over the course of the past 3 months, I could not have asked for a better experience. Having great professors, building new friendships, and playing against my peers in mini-tennis (ping pong) and foosball are only some of the many aspects that have contributed to the awesome time that I am having at Baruch College. It has only been 3 months and I can’t wait to see what the next 3 and a half years have in store for me. Baruch College offers a copious amount of opportunities in terms of networking and this will definitely help me excel in my career in the near future.

College so far has been a very fun experience, got to meet new friends and was able to partake in a variety of activities. However, one aspect of college that isn’t fun is the inevitable studying. So far this semester, my recent experiences constituted of procrastination. No matter what I tell myself or what I try to do in order to stop this bad habit, no solution seems to be available. This meme, embodies my mindset when it comes to studying for exams and midterms. Although I do manage my time effectively sometimes, a fair amount of my study sessions are on the back end of YouTube or NBA.com. Laziness and idling have always been my Achilles heel but that hasn’t stopped me in reaching my goals. Of course nearing the end of this semester, this has turned out to be a valuable lesson in which I hope will help me change my habits for the coming semesters and beyond. I found this meme to be very relevant to me and I hope that it doesn’t remain relevant for long. I got this meme from Weknowmemes.com and the URL is posted below.

http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/during-the-day-ill-study.jpg

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/80431543314707520/

Procrastination. Something I was so determined to stop doing now that I’m in college. No matter how hard I try not to, I always procrastinate. This accurately depicts my six stages of procrastinating. No matter how many times I try to study a week in advance or not write a paper the night before it’s due I continue this bad habit of procrastinating. Sometimes I make excuses such as being able to work better under pressure of a time constraint. However, I only end up stressing even more. Throughout this semester, there have been many assignments and exams that I’ve worked on the night before the due date. Sometimes it works out and other times I regret it. Sure procrastinating is bad and I should develop better time management skills, but I’ve realized that it works for me and I think that’s what matters.

Overwhelming— that’s how life is as a college student. There are so many assignments and exams for all the classes, but so little time to get it all done while trying to maintain a social life…or any type of life for that matter. Especially during midterms, when almost all classes decide to bombard me with exams or papers, I just sit in my room with my laptop and my textbooks trying to study. I stay there for hours going through pages and pages of information, trying my hardest to remember it all. And then after midterms, I have a bunch of other projects and essays to hand in. As soon as I’m done with one assignment, I realize another is due soon. It all is definitely CRAZY, but it also very helpful. College forces me to grow-up; it teaches me how to manage my time and get work done; it prepares me for the real-world.

This is a gif I got from Tumblr. It is a scene from “Modern Family” where Lily crashes into a wall as she excitedly runs to school on the first day. I think this picture pretty accurately describes my experience so far at Baruch. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I had pretty high expectations for college and living in the city in general. I thought it was going to be the most exciting thing ever and that everything would be perfect. These clearly weren’t realistic expectations, though. I have ran into a lot of metaphorical walls on my journey so far, whether it be having three major tests on the same day or just getting lost too many times to count. It was during these times that I just felt really defeated. But every time I fell, I learned to get back up and look ahead for walls in my path.

Dollar pizza, Bubble tea, Chinese food galore,
Halal carts, Ralph’s ice cream, & O’ so many more:
Indian, Vietnamese, Nepalese, & Thai,
I’ll need more than just four short years; there’s too much food to try!
Indeed a short walk ’round these blocks will take you ’round the globe,
Sushi, Dumplings, Hamburgers, Chipotle Burritos.
So come on down to 25th for lunch and eat your fill,
If Baruch doesn’t make your tummy roar, I just don’t know what will!