Month: September 2017

 

When trying to find a club that interested me, I initially looked through the long list online until I saw the Baruch E-Sports Association. Because games have been a hobby of mine for a king time now I decided I would attend one of their GIM to see how the club worked, meet new people and of course get some refreshments/food. In the first meeting I found all the present members to be very friendly, I was quickly introduced to what type of events the club has and managed to meet many new people, several of which had similar interests making it easier to talk too. Throughout the year the club hosts many gaming events both on campus, and because they have their own computer room these events can be organized more efficiently. However I also learnt the club is also meant to be in many ways, a way to socialize with people of similar interests, as they described it “we host a variety of events from in-house tournaments to social events on- and off-campus”. Another element of the club I found interesting was the team aspect. Currently they sponsor two competitive collegiate games; League of Legends and CS:GO. This was greats news to me because League of legends has been a hobby for a while and perhaps it could be a new experience to play in an amateur team. After the meeting I also visited (on another day), the recently opened computer lab that allows the members of the club to partake in on campus event and gives them the chance to play on good computers in an environment surrounded by fellow club members. Overall I found the club well organized and is something I look forward to joining this semester.

Finally, on September 19th, I got the opportunity to attend an actuarial science workshop hosted by Prudential Financial. The awareness program cleared so many doubts I had in actuarial work. I found out that I didn’t have to pass all the actuarial exams before actually getting an actuary position. Moreover, Prudential may help pay for these exams, provide mentoring before taking the exams and even give a salary increase for every exam I passed. They also have a performance team to help monitor my progress and provide advice. I was happy to find out that Prudential isn’t only involved in actuarial science but also accounting & finance, global investments and assets management, just to name a few. Who knows, maybe I’ll get tired of all the mathematics courses essential for analytical skills in actuarial work. I also gained many insights on the internship programs Prudential has available for students. There is a one week Actuarial Success Awareness Program where you are exposed to actuaries and their work and a more intense Actuarial Internship Program where you actually get to do the work. Best part is even if I was placed outside of New York, they provide accommodations. Seems like the best place to work right? One interesting fact that you may want to know is that Prudential employed over 1/3 of the actuaries in the tri-state area. Even if you were not interested in actuarial work, there are so many great areas to explore. The workshop was quite intense as it was a lot of information being sent but the representatives were all very kind and keen to ensure I received relevant and necessary information. One of the representatives actually attended Baruch. There were many free gifts, snacks and refreshments provided. The meeting was great overall and I definitely think I will be applying for Actuarial Success Awareness Program coming this Spring.

On Tuesday September 19, I attended the ULCA( united chinese language association) meeting and fundraiser. There I got to meet new people that I never seen before. I made a couple of new friends. Everyone was really friendly and easy to talk to. I thought the people there would be more like strangers but, they were very welcoming and told me the requirements to

join the club. In order to join I have to attend one general meeting, one social, and one chinese learning program. From the friends I made there they told me about the fundraiser on that day. I am not an official member so I didn’t help out in the fundraiser, but I helped out by buying some dumplings and thai ice tea. The tea wasn’t so great but the dumpling was delicious. ULCA has interested and will most likely help me get more involved and being comfortable in the baruch community.

On Thursday 9/14, I attended a BAC (Baruch athletic council meeting).  At this meeting we talked about promoting Baruch athletics and different ways to support each team.  Also, in this council there are different sub-committees I can be apart of.  I have the option of helping internally at Baruch and help run some sports activities inside the school, I can help run external activities that involves Baruch athletes, for example, each team is going to have to send some players to a learning center where they will play with children and read to them, and finally I can help with marketing and promote big events going on at Baruch on social media pages.  At this meeting I learned new ways I can get involved with sports, that doesn’t just include playing on a team.  Being apart of this committee would involve me more in Baruch and I can help try to diversify who is attending sports games and also, help improve each teams morals by getting them more involved with the Baruch community.

On Thursday 9/14, during club hours I went to Lexicon’s General Interest Meeting. This was the first meeting for Baruch’s yearbook this semester. They brought everyone pizza as a welcome, and free food is always great. All the members of the club introduced themselves as well as what they do. We were also shown different parts of the club that we can join, such as photography, marketing, or graphic design.They were very visual with their presentation of the club in showing us the various yearbooks from the past dating up to 1948, as well as a video of our mascot finding his way to Lexicon’s room. Seeing the previous yearbooks really showed how this club is very long lasting and does a lot, and the video with the mascot was really cute as it included members of the club also. In the end, the members of the club went around making sure that people were satisfied with the information they received. I felt very welcome and comfortable being around this group and I will definitely try to join this club, as I’m very interested in photography and graphic design myself.

On Friday, the fifteenth of September I attended the career fair at baruch in the gym. I went to a number of companies and spoke with a number of representatives at the tables in the gym. This was a great experience as I worked on my social communication skills, worked on my resume before I attended the career fair, and met some representatives that provided me with very useful information. I would definitely take part in this event next semester as it was a great learning experience for me. I would also recommend this to other students as it is a great way to get your name out there and get noticed on campus. I really had a great time seeing some of my classmates at the fair and even meeting some of the teammates from my soccer team. I hope they have a career fair next semester because I would be happy to go again!

Last Tuesday I went to the OPT Workshop for international students. OPT stands for Optional Practical Training, which gives international students the right to work maximum 12 months after graduation in the field directed to the major. I was an 1,5 hour long workshop, with one hour of information and an half hour of asking questions. As aF-1 student, I’m not allow to work, but I learned that I have the chance to do a CPT (Curricular Practical Training) during my education in the states. The good thing is the that the CPT doesn’t affect OPT, therefore I will be able to gain working experience for two years. Since the OPT and CPT feels kind of far away from where I am now, I didn’t quite memorize all information about the application process and important dates (which was A LOT) we got from the workshop. But it is still very useful for the future and I will definitely consider to do a CPT and OPT.

 

(I couldn’t take a selfie so I asked my friend to take a quick pic and she only got half my face :))

On Thursday I went to check out the first general Lexicon meeting. And it was really cool. The club seemed very relaxed and laid back and the members were really nice and easy to talk to. They showed a really cute video on how to get to Lexicon and previous yearbooks they had worked on. I learned  that they are one of the oldest clubs at Baruch. It was a really nice experience because it seems like Lexicon has a lot of school spirit and are involved with almost everything on campus. Everyone in the club seems very welcoming and close and I think it’s great that the clubs at Baruch bring people together creating a close knit group of people. I think I’m definitely going to consider joining.

PS: Taking the selfie was really awkward.

On Friday was a Career Fair hosted in Baruch. I was able to attend this event with Skylar and Ana. We were able to see first-hand just how Baruch prepares students for golden opportunities, and lay a platform for students to gain access to resources. There was a large line of students fully prepared in professional attire from the ground floor circling down the staircase. There was definitely a difference between the three of us and the other students attending. We quickly realized that “business casual” does not quite cut it. We took this as a learning experience to dress for the job you want. Furthermore, we saw this as an opportunity to network. Though there was an overwhelming amount of potential employers, we managed to narrow it down to the business we were interested in. I expressed an interest in Crowe Howarth and TD Bank among other corporations. It was great to see that Baruch enables and empowers students to go after the careers they desire. In the near future I hope to acquire an internship position at possibly one of the career fair businesses that were kind enough to come.

On Tuesday, my two friends and I attended a meeting with the African Student Association. Although none of us were from African decent the group was very welcoming. At the meeting we discussed different types of fundraising activities that can be done throughout the year and the upcoming bake sale that will take place. The group members discussed who will bring what baked goods and encouraged us to come and bring more friends to support them. I believe the students in this club made us feel as if we were a part of there organization by including us in there discussion, on what kind of events should be held.