September 2017 – Page 3 – First Year Seminar 2017

Board games, just the name itself makes me bored. As a kid, I could never understand why people played them as a form of entertainment. I would play them whenever I needed help sleeping. Which is why when I heard about “The Grid,” a club that revolves around people playing board games, I was certain I wouldn’t like it. Yet, despite my apathy for board games, my friend, Ellis, convinced me to join the club. He seemed very enthusiastic about, especially about a board game called “Werewolf”. After explaining the rules of the game, how it worked, and how you won, even I was interested. Still though, it wasn’t a video game or something. “How entertaining can it be?” I thought to myself. Regardless, I decided to go with reluctance, but that reluctance soon went away.

We went on Tuesday, September 5 during club hours to “The Grid”. We entered to a lively room full of enthusiastic people. Everyone was kind and friendly and introduced themselves immediately. They even ordered Popeyes for everyone to eat; Man, I love fried chicken. I felt welcome and a bit more enthusiastic myself about playing the board game. To my surprise, I really enjoyed “Werewolf”. It turns out, a board game played with 20+ people is very entertaining. There’s never a dull moment.

If there’s one thing I got out of this experience, it’s that College shouldn’t be just about learning, I realized you should have fun and enjoy your time there. Sometimes you have to escape your comfort zone and try out new things. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like said thing more than you first anticipated. I know I did. I plan on going to “The Grid” every week during club hours. I’m even considering joining the E-Board next year.

This image requires alt text, but the alt text is currently blank. Either add alt text or mark the image as decorative. — Hanging out with Ellis at the club

Hello Students,

Here are the guidelines on how to blog found in your handbook syllabus:

Enrichment Workshops

First-Year Seminar enrichment activities provide students with the opportunity to learn more about the resources and opportunities available at Baruch College. Offered throughout the semester, these activities will help complement the sessions that students will cover in their First-Year Seminar classes. The enrichment opportunities will help to ease their transition into college life by strengthening connections with fellow peers, faculty, and staff.

The enrichment opportunities offered will include a wide range of activities and events related to the following categories: academic, career, and student life. You will be required to attend or complete a total of three (3) enrichment opportunities, selecting one from each category, and write a short reflective piece on your class’s Blogs@Baruch page. Below are some examples of enrichment workshops that you can attend.

ACADEMIC	CAREER	STUDENT LIFE
Attend Major and Minors Fair	Attend a Starr Career Development Center workshop	Join a student club or organization
Attend a workshop with SAAC Tutoring Center	Take the Focus-2 Assessment and attend a workshop or schedule a Career Counselor appointment to review.	Attend a health and wellness or athletic event
Attend an exhibition offered at a NYC museum (free with student ID)	Attend a Field Center for Entrepreneurship workshop	Participate in a community service project
Attend a Writing Center workshop	Attend the Career and Internship Fair (attend a Career Prep workshop first!)	Attend a Heritage Month event

Blogging in First-Year Seminar

Having attended your enrichment workshops, Blogs@Baruch will allow you to reflect on your experience. Blogs@Baruch is an online publishing and academic networking platform for the Baruch College community overseen by Baruch’s Center for Teaching and Learning. All incoming students will contribute to collaborative weblogs in order to build community inside and outside of the classroom, extend the opportunity for dialogue among seminar participants, and to gain an introduction to the implications of doing academic work on the Internet. On the first day of class, First-Year Seminar Peer Mentors will review instructions on how to use Blogs@Baruch, how to develop and maintain a profile page on the system, and will also guide you through the three blog posts that will be required of all First-Year Seminar students. You will also receive instruction on best practices for developing a digital identity, and guidance on where to find support for your work with educational technology on campus.

Embed your image in a blog post and then write a post of 300 words that explains how and why the event or activity assisted you during your first semester at Baruch. Before publishing your post, tag the post as “Academic”, “Career” or “Student Life” in the right sidebar under ‘Tags. Be sure to check your post for spelling, grammar, and capitalization before publishing!

Blog Assignments

ACADEMIC
Select an event or activity from the Academic Workshop section. Post a photo of yourself at the event or

doing the activity. Embed your image in a blog post and then write a post of 300 words that explains how and why the event or activity assisted you during your first semester at Baruch.

CAREER
Select an event or activity from the Career Workshop section. Following the event or activity have the

presenter sign the signature section of your handbook. Write a post of 300 words that explains how the workshop helped you to explore your career goals and what additional resources will you use at Baruch College to help accomplish your career goals.

To attend a career workshop please do the following:

Log into STARR Search, the SCDC’s electronic career management program, and create your personal profile at http://baruch-csm.symplicity.com/students.
RSVP for the workshop you wish to attend.

Please note that pictures are not allowed to be taken at the career workshops. Please have the presenter of the workshop sign in the signature section below to verify your participation.

STUDENT LIFE
Select an event or activity from the Student Life Enrichment Workshop section. Students must register for myBaruch and create a profile. Use myBaruch to look up clubs and events. Post a photo of yourself at the event or of yourself doing the activity. Embed your image in a blog post and then write a post of 300 words that reflect on your impressions of the event or activity and how you plan to get involved.

DUE DATES:

Post # 1: Due before Values and Academic Integrity Session (Before: 09/12)
Post # 2: Due before the Mid-Semester Check In Session (Before: 10/10)
Post # 3: Due before Career Planning Session (Before: 11/14)

* Remember that all 3 blog posts must be completed to pass the course!

First Year Seminar 2017

Month: September 2017

My Time at the Grid

How to Blog