With September rapidly approaching and the summer beaches turning chilly, high school seniors are starting to look at colleges.
“Right now, I am thinking about applying to Baruch College, but I am not sure yet. It really sucks to be stressed about colleges.” said Cindy, a rising senior attending Millennium High School.
NYC students apply to Baruch College because, according to U.S News, it is a top business school and the college ties for fourth place among the best public schools in the regional north.
“The majority of students come to Baruch College because they want to major in business. I want to say I believe 95% of students come to Baruch because of that,” Clemente Diaz, the Associate Director of College Now, said, “But Baruch College is not only a business school. We also have the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Public Affairs.”
Not only does Baruch support students in other majors, the institution also provides internships and networking opportunities for all undergraduates.
“Baruch has really helped me with getting access to internships and jobs. I recently worked at Albany for a stipend and others got the opportunity to work for the Congress,” stated Michael, a junior Public Affairs major.
When asked if they would recommend Baruch College to high school students, four out of seven students interviewed said yes.
A graduate student who majored in Taxation said that Baruch is a good investment compared to private colleges because it is much cheaper and its students are as likely to get good jobs. Unlike universities such as Fordham that cost around $40,000 a year, Baruch costs only $6,330 a year.
However, when asked about the flaws of Baruch, the graduate student said the grading system in Baruch is harsh. There are strict rules on the number of students who can get the highest grades. For instance, only the top 20% get A’s. This makes it difficult to obtain high grades and students become very competitive.
Because Baruch is in the middle of New York City and is a commuter school, some students do not get the same campus feel as those who go to rural or suburban colleges. “The campus is not active. Everyone is involved in themselves so it lacks a sense of community. I just go to school and then go home,” said Mona, a junior majoring in Accounting. As a result, she does not recommend Baruch for those who want a lively campus.
Even the staffs at Baruch recognize this problem. Maziely Crisostomo, the Director of College Now and Collaborative Programs and Clemente Diaz both agreed that Baruch would be better with more school spirit and a bigger campus.
Clemente commented, “I [would] prefer to have more buildings in a campus. It does not have to be something huge but something where students can go around into the neighborhood a bit more instead of only having buildings on 27th street, Lexington, Third Avenue.”
Maziely added, “Space, we could definitely use more classrooms. Baruch is like jammed pack, really crowded.”
Whether it is the tuition or the campus life, high school students should research every aspect of colleges to see which one is the best learning environment for them.
“I strongly recommend high school students to choose colleges wisely, to have a major in mind, and to take AP classes to get ready for the workload in college,” said Shi Li, a freshman in Business Management who recently graduated from Townsend Harris High School.