Having improved my writing and attended a club without a hitch, I set out on giving myself a bit of a challenge. Luckily, the answer came to me almost immediately as I sat at my desk thinking about which STARR workshops to attend in order to improve my skills. It was the first listing on the website: a workshop on how to make small talk with colleagues. Even luckier for me, I could actually use this workshop to improve my communication skills, which was one of the few areas in which I was lacking. I knew that I was shy when I talked to people, and most of the time, they initiated conversations with me rather than the other way around. I hoped this small talk workshop would change that.

I registered for the workshop that occurred on November 8. That day, after a long day of classes, I set out to find the workshop. It was actually easier than I thought, with signs posted everywhere. I went into the room on the second floor, and unsurprisingly, there were a lot of freshmen also doing the same thing as me – signing up for the workshop for their freshman seminar signature.

Having signed myself in, I watched the presenter go around the room and shake hands with everyone, introducing herself as she went past. When she came around to my seat, I turned to her, shook her hand, and introduced myself. After a quick round of small talk, I learned the presenter’s name, Dr. Ellen Stein.

Dr. Stein then started the presentation by telling us how to initiate conversations and how to keep them going. Non-controversial topics were good conversation starters; politics, religion, and money were not. The presentation consisted of activities, including another round of small talk where I also learned the names of the two people sitting next to me, Thomas and Dan. It was not as scary as I thought. Dr. Stein continued, talking about how small talk opportunities such as business parties could advance our career prospects, including on the subway. She told us about how she made a friend in Japan 20 years ago just because the other person had been reading a book in English.

Before I knew it, the workshop was over. Not a bad conversation for a controlled setting, I thought. But could I do it in public? We’ll have to see, I surmised as I walked to the subway, alone, in the rain.

I am interested in many things, ranging from reading voraciously to programming computers decently to fencing somewhat awkwardly. At Baruch, I’ve been looking for ways to explore these interests by joining as many clubs, and participating in as many student life activities, as I can. As a young Chinese man, I’m not surprised when people go up to me and ask if I’m good at math (which I am), computers (which I also am), or gaming (which I’m not, but wish to be). With that in mind, I decided to attend E-Sports Association’s general interest meeting this past Thursday.

I’d actually attended the last meeting a month ago, but I ended up getting lost, ping-ponging between the 3rd and 8th floors to look for two rooms that turned out to be closed. I finally gave up and went to the Office of Student Life, where after hurriedly explaining my predicament, I obtained the room number for E-Sports. Having finally found the room, I got there just in time for the club leaders to finish signing people in and take a picture of the entire club. In my disappointment about missing most of the meeting, I forgot to obtain an image. However, I did receive the date of the next meeting so I could be punctual next time.

This past week’s meeting was easier to find because the club organizers actually emailed the room number, which was near the Ticker’s offices. It was still very hard to find, but considering that I had also applied to become a copyeditor for the Ticker, it was convenient. But back to the E-Sports Association: I learned that the club met every Thursday to compete in collaborative gaming environments such as League of Legends and Counter Strike Global Offensive. I was very happy to learn that we’d be playing a game in which I had some decent experience. I also learned about the dedicated gaming room in the Newman Library’s sixth floor, and that the club met every Thursday. Having absorbed more detail about the club during this meeting, I decided that it would be an optimal place for me to brush up on my gaming and teamwork skills.

 

The contents of my freshman writing class’s Blackboard page surprised me. I had to complete a 5-to-6 page draft of a personal essay by September 18, and my final draft the following week. The problem? I didn’t know where to start. I had a topic in mind, but could not think of a specific event to think about, let alone examine in depth. It was at that point that I turned to the Baruch Writing Center. As luck would have it, they were hosting a workshop on writing drafts on September 12.

Not deterred by the counterintuitive numbering system of Baruch’s rooms, I eventually found the room where the workshop was to be held. There were ten students, tops, sitting around a square table in a classroom-sized space. The fairly young professor who was hosting the workshop soon began talking about seven main tips to keep in mind while writing. Got no clear idea about what to write about? No problem, just freewrite about the easiest part of the assignment. Finding it difficult to write in complete sentences? Simply write bullet points! Don’t worry about if you write garbage at first – no one gets it perfectly the first time.

With these bits of advice in mind, we picked up our pencils and began jotting down our respective main points. I, personally, rambled about my trip to Italy, because that was what I was writing about for English class. I didn’t need to rack my brain for more than two minutes before I settled on a specific topic: rowing a gondola in Venice. By the time the 35-minute writing period had lapsed, I had filled two pages about getting into the gondola. We reconvened to talk about the strategies used to draft our respective pieces. The professor, listening to us while emphasizing the seven drafting strategies, gave detailed feedback and noted the efficacy of the different ways in which we approached our drafts. I walked away from the workshop with a clearer idea of how to write my essay.