Freshman Seminar Spring 2011: F6A

my first semester at baruch was very enlightening> I learned a lot about balancing time and getting things done. I still have a lot to work on but a long way to go. My goal is to be able to maintain a full time job while going to school; whether its part time or full time.
Before attending Baruch, i lived a dull life at home with my parents. Taking up this semester at Baruch changed me in ways that was unimaginable. I loved the environment although i was not present very often.
I intend on making my next semester better and more exciting. Joining clubs and being more active in what i am being offered is definitely something worth waiting and paying for.

Before watching this film, I had a brief understanding of the conflict between homosexuals and religions. My best friend is gay and his family does not accept him for it because of their religion. Even though his family knows that it makes him happy to be with another man, they despise him for it.
After watching this film, i grew a higher respect for homosexuals. Knowing what they go through to be with the one they love is extremely tedious. Homosexual Muslims are in fact in a situation that is beyond horrendous. This definitely opened my eyes up to the experiences of a homosexual beyond what i have witnessed in the household of my best friend>

Going to college is always one of my dreams. I don’t want to say studying in
Baruch is a dream come true since I want to be a full-time student who has no
stress on finance. But it is somehow a beginning of my dream. Throught that,
I see some hope and something I am dreaming for. I have a faith that I will make
the dream come true someday. Not now, but someday in one or two years. I think I
would have better organized my time and schedule and put more efforts on the
academic if I could do it all again. Sometimes it is hard to do something even
though you think it is necessary to do so. I might need to control myself a
little bit more and force myself to work on whatever I have to, in order to
achieve my academic goals. I like the environment where we meet diffenrent
people and know more about different cultures. Before studying in Baruch
College, my life was so boring. Even though I hanged out with friends, I still
felt so empty. And now my life is full of substance. I work; I study; and I
still have fun with my friends, actually more friends.

My first semester at Baruch was very interesting. Not much of me has changed and I’ve only been able to benefit. Baruch has lived up to my expectations and I hope it keeps going this way. I believe that I did the best I could and will get good grades. I put my all effort into doing the best I could, although I probably could do things differently I don’t think that it would change much. I’ve had a hectic and busy semester and I look forward to many more and exciting ones. Since I started Baruch I’ve been very independent and dedicated to my studies. Taking the time out of my weekend to study was a big change to me. Being an early high school graduate and going straight to college had been a real culture shock but in all the great ways. I’ve been able to grow as an individual and meet some amazing and inspiring people. For me, Baruch seems to have the key to all the doors I want to open in life.

Well i had set my goal at getting a 4.0 GPA or around there, but certainly nothing below a 3.7. well between full time work and full time school, it seems i might have to settle short of my primary goal. as of date, i would say i have had a good experience. i was certainly worried that i wouldn’t get a typical college experience by attending Baruch, well that has proven to not be entirely true. i have met some really good people, even briefly went to one or two events; so the Baruch experience has been rewarding. as for the expected transformation, well none is appearant right now. Am sure with time, i will notice of any changes, but for the most part, i still have my reservations on particular subjects. If i could start the school year all over, i would definitely pay more attention to my math course. i would study it more, and i would go to tutoring freuently. This has been my first year, and am looking forward to my second year.

I’ ve never had any problem with homosexual people. They are like any other human being, the only difference is that they prefer to spend the rest of their life with people of the same gender. Before i watched the movie that was what i thought about gay people. During and after my thoughts were the same, are the same, but now i feel sorry for the musulman’s homosexuals. It’s really sad all the things they have to do to be happy, or at least try to be happy. They have to leave their country and families, sometimes their love ones end murdered. Fortunately that it’s not what is happening around the world. Some countries are open to the idea that people are different and they don’t care.  Hopefully people will be change and they will acept that we are not all the same, we have diferent preferences and homosexuals will live in peace wherever they want.

I really enjoy my first semester at Baruch college. Overall it was a very good semester. I made some friends and the professors were great. It was some kind of experiment for me. As english is my second language and i haven’t been in NY for a long period of time, to understand the classes was a big achivement.
If i have to do it all again, I would have chose two classes instead of one, but at the same time, maybe, it would have be too much for me.
It was a great experience and i really like it. Baruch is a great college and i’m looking foward to be one of its graduates.

My experience at Baruch College has been great. It has been great from day 1. I had and still have many expectations from Baruch, this is only my first semester and so far Baruch has lived up to everything that I was expecting from this school.
I love the environment, I love my professors (Writing 2100T, PSY & Pre-Calc.) They all had love and dedication towards their course and it shows. Because if it wasn’t for the effort they put in, I wouldn’t be able learn and absorve everything that they have tought so far.
My first semester, I feel went very fast, but still I enjoyed it very much. I think I am moving along because I compare myself when I first started and now that it is almost over, and I can see my improvement in the different courses.
I wouldn’t do anything differently, because at this stage in my game, I am not playing anymore, and although I dont have the intention of going into Zicklin… but Weissman rather, I mean business, therefore I wouldn’t change anything, because I have put on all my love and dedication from day one. And I will continue to do so, until my last day at Baruch.
I feel I changed in the sense that, I feel more energetic and enthusiastic, now more than ever. Yes, I have pull all nighters, yes, I am tired sometimes, yes I have yawned in clases that I personally enjoy, but this is because working full time and having 3 courses is definetely taking a toll on me. But I DONT REGRET ANY OF IT, I ACTUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO IT FOR THE NEXT 4 OR 5 YEARS, OR FOR WHATEVER IT TAKES.
Thank you Andrea and Analucia for all of your love and support and mostly for your guidance !! And also thank you to to my fellow classmates from Freshman Seminar, for simply being YOU, I truly enjoyed your company every Friday Night ! =)

The documentary explored the trials and tribulations of the homosexual Muslim. It s indeed an indomitable challenge. from the outset, Muslims are drilled with what is proper and what is not, what a law is, and what the punishment for breaking it is. so there is really no way for a Muslim to reconcile his/her Islamic faith with being a homosexual, and wholeheartedly be at ease. Even if their life were to be protected,  true Muslims would always feel a wrong in their hearts for being gay. The reason being that fundamental teachings can never be eroded.

Personally, I think that anyone should be able to freely share and explore what it is that they feel inside. Therefore I think that homosexuals should be treated no different than heterosexuals because they are no different. I comprehend how difficult it is to come out of the closet for Muslims (for the homosexuals) because of their religious beliefs, but I think that if they believe God loves them, then He would be able to accept them no matter what. However since they are raised with the idea that it is basically forbidden, their heads are filled with this strain because it is not something they can change; it is simply the way they feel. Evidently, feelings cannot magically be changed just because the surrounding people seem to disagree with it.

While watching the movie, I must admit that I was primarily awakened by the fact that laws discriminating homosexuals and religious beliefs, in general are a lot stricter elsewhere than in New York, or in my personal life too. I guess people in the United States don’t realize how lucky they are to be able to express themselves without being wrongfully judged. One fact that shot out to me was when being a homosexual was now a disease. I feel a great disturbance in my heart knowing that so many people are suffering just because they differ in a way that isn’t allowed where they live.

After watching the movie, I really feel for those who aren’t free to express themselves. It’s sad that people are tormented throughout their whole lives for being peculiar in other people’s eyes. (Whether it’s physical or mental torment) I know it’s a terrorizing war to battle yourself and your beliefs so having to battle everyone else clearly makes everything ten times harder. I just hope that with each passing day, more and more people are able to love the way they want to because although it is said that it is wrong, it is just the way people are born.