As a person, I enjoy broadening my horizons by learning new facts about history, because history repeats itself and it’s generally useful to know how the past was. One thing I didn’t have was the NYC ID which I tried to get as soon as possible and got it a few weeks into the semester in order to enjoy discounts on things like museums, operas, shows etc. Since I enjoy spending my time at these kind of locations, I ended up going to the MET museum and trying to enjoy one of the exhibits.
Entering the MET Museum I was met with an interesting vibe; lots of people (majority probably being tourists) all trying to enjoy the shows, making the beauty of the museum seem almost claustrophobic. Still, getting in was not hard as the donation was voluntary and I went on to enjoy the trip by myself. Personally, it probably would’ve been a better social experience with others, though the exhibit itself was nice. Specifically, the Egyptian exhibit which has the statue attached below.
Egyptian history is quite unique since the empire is old yet has achieved the grandest of all empires – pyramids. No other group in history has managed to conserve its culture to this day as much as the Egyptians have and it was fascinating to see the tools they had. The eye candy of jewellery and royal portraits were spectacular, but it was also interesting to see how in general people enjoy Egypt so much to the point where a lot of the museum’s exhibit includes reactions to Egypt, e.g. tomb paintings made in the 1900s. For the first time I enjoyed simply looking at the material as I tend to read more than visualize which is why the experience was so lively.
All in all, I believe I will keep on visiting as many museums as possible with my student and NYC ID, because it truly makes me proud to be part of the capital of the world where I’m at most a hour away from seeing global history.
Author: m.roitburd
Focus2, FES, and Workshops
Let’s just say that clubs are probably one of the best parts about Baruch, and I’m barely one month in. This is especially true for the Finance and Economics Society, the first club I committed to from the start. One of the tasks given was to familiarize myself with STARR, which even before becoming a freshman I heard it worked as the “to-go platform for finding a job.” One of the requirements other than posting your academic info (graduation date, GPA) and your professional info i.e. your resume and cover letter was to take a few personality assessments which can help narrow down your career choices based on what you chose. These included assessments of tasks within a job that I’d like to do, my attitude towards work i.e. whether I’m a problem solver, more social, rational, systematic over adaptive etc. and typically if you answer these kinds of assessments over a larger period of time truthfully, consistent results are to be expected.
And they were. I was classified as a more conventional and investigative person, a person who likes to solve problems and would do well in business, accounting, hard sciences, administration and technology. I then proceeded to attend a workshop under FES which was named “Lifecycle of an Internship,” presented by the club’s president, Verina Hanien. What the presentation covered included all the stages of an internship at the big financial firms and how to make the most of them via networking, etiquette and feedback. I was familiar with what the processes of an internship were as I actually attended one this summer – right before I became a freshman – and had something to compare it to with similar results. I did realize I wasn’t proactive enough, but that was to be expected as I didn’t understand its importance until I stood out to gain more from active networking. That said, I do hope to incorporate these findings sooner or later. FES’ last career workshop which included Capco making a company appearance was more reflective, because the activity incorporated a case study which I felt comfortable doing by adding value to the discussion. Still, I have at least hundreds of days to prepare for my future career and even more to understand what I’d like to do in the long run.
Student Life: FES, Professional Development and You
Time is of the essence and finding out what to do requires planning ahead. I decided to attend clubs to enrich my life and develop my personality. Luckily, Baruch has clubs for everyone and I found myself comfortable in choosing one at my discretion, even though you can’t just attend them all. Thus, I chose to make a profound move and affiliate myself with a more professional/academic club because the progress builds up rapidly, rewarding proactivity.
High school allowed me to get a taste of what accounting felt like through the Virtual Enterprise program. In fact, I was the CFO of a virtual company and while I enjoyed my job there was a bigger focus on the administrative and external affairs more so than my accounting responsibility. So, I decided to pursue finances yet study accounting, as the two aren’t too nonexclusive.
Today was the GIM day for many clubs, and Finance & Economics Society (FES) felt like a good choice. Thus, I went straight to 11-150 and made myself known, recognizing a few familiar faces. Before attending, I was acquainted with a senior (former co-worker) who allowed me to connect with the board of the club far easier; I integrated rather quickly.
The session was informative and made me realize that the club is not just extra-curricular, but quintessential for a possible career while in college. Working on Financial Analysis or Investment Banking (IB) are two finance paths that I have never been exposed previously, but am highly interested in!
Highlights include the mentorship program which allows me to be paired with seniors and work on assignments that can sharpen my hard skills. Resume, cover letter and mock interviews are features that can sharpen my soft skills, and make me well rounded.
Considering that I require a better balance in adjusting to the professional world, FES is likely the best path towards achieving my final FTO goal in college.
Ultimately, it all complements my “time is limited” mentality because the other clubs I’m considering – Absolute Adrenaline and/or Archery Club – happen on weekends, which makes sure that no conflicts happen. I can’t wait to make most use of my opportunity and end up giving back to those that helped me rise.
