Surviving College 101 Section: FTA

      My experience as a freshman in Baruch College was totally different compared to high school. Even though I try my best to adjust myself to get used to the new environment, I still find some challenges, especially in some classes that I have been registered in.

       Ever since my first day at Baruch College, the new life experience here has not
lived up to my expectation. When I stepped into Baruch College, I have always thought that I would get a good grade like high school as long as I finished all the assignments and did well in the tests, Unfortunately, college is not like high school, I have to focus on a lot of things. Also, sometimes I need to stay up to review the materials that were given by my professors, however, I could not arrange my time well in order to get through all the materials for different classes. Now, I begin to question myself that whether I could achieve my goal which I have established in the beginning of the first semester.

         Basically, everything goes well except for the cours I have been admitted in. I make a lot of friends from different areas and we get along well with each other. For example, we will eat our food together during the lunch time and then go to library to study, so we can help each other to deal with different problems. On the other hand, even though I receive a harsh schedule, I feel so comfortable in some classes because the professors understand how to motivate their students and make jokes in order to attract students’ attention to the class, I really enjoy those classes.

       Actually, if I can restart my life experience in college, I think I will drop philosophy class immediately instead of the day before deadline because it is too difficult for me to understand the different topics and make connections. I tried my best to review the books and take notes, but I was still confused about the ideas so that I did not do well in the tests. Also, the students around me have always told me that it was so difficult for people to take PHI class in the first year of college. By contrast, if I drop the course, I can get enough time to focus on the materials from another class. The most important thing is that I can reduce my pressure and feel relax.

           Ultimately, since I have started college, I became extrovert and felt optimistic about everything happened to me. I knew that it was important to be independent and I didn’t have enough time to complain because I could achieve many goals during that period. Also, I understood that it was easier said rather than done for everything in college, so I have always told myself to take an action to be successful and never give up.

            In all, I will enjoy my new life at Baruch College and regard it as a life stage
for the future.

He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you. ”

Beyond Good and Evil

The Breast Cancer Walk is an inspiring event where we support breast cancer patients, honor survivors, and raise awareness to help lives all over the world. By participating in the breast cancer walk, I felt that it was a great way for so many strugglers and survivors of breast cancer to know that we are there to support them and show them our enthusiasm. The Beast Cancer Walk is an event that takes place every year in several places all over the country to save lives.

I was very excited when I heard that we’ll be engaging in a community service project because I felt that we should always give back to our community whenever we can. Our community has given its support to us in one way or another throughout our lives, and we should also give back to help more people in our community. Through community service, our supports, cheers, or helping hands could gain a lot more smiles on other people’s faces. I feel giving a little bit of my time and energy could make someone else in the community feel good and happy. I think that this is one of the most important reasons why I like to participate in community service projects. Sometimes a little bit of our help can change a lot for someone who needs our support.

When I got to the service site, I saw hundreds of people who are there already early in the morning. Everyone was very energetic and the energetic feeling has also spread to me because of the atmosphere. I learned that each participant is very supportive of the Breast Cancer Walk and the atmosphere of cheerfulness fills into everyone. The best part of this event was participating in a meaning event together with my group members. I feel that by giving up a little bit of our time, it could mean a lot to many people out there. The most trying part was meeting up at the service site because we had problems contacting one another so it becomes a problem for us to meet each other at the designated place.

This project was able to help us learn about the community around us that we may have paid little or no attention to before. The little time and energy we give can raise awareness for a lot of people in our community. This community service experience was related to the “Leadership and Service” session because we learn to give support to others in our community that needs help. It is a good way for us to gain experience, meet different people and see a different side of the world.

I was very happy that this project gives me an opportunity to be a part of the Breast Cancer Walk. This is one of the biggest community events of the year and I was glad that I was able to gain a lot from it. I will definitely stay involved with my community in the future. I’ve participated in several volunteer events and I find it to be a great way to contribute to my community.

October 22, 2011

This is the first time I join a walking for Lupus (The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) is a national voluntary health organization based in New York City that was founded in 1999 ), when I got there, my first impression is: Wow! There are a lot of people. Maybe because that’s my first walking, I felt so impressed.

When I first heard about that I have to do community service in order to pass the freshmen seminar class, I wasn’t really surprised, because there was also a requirement for volunteering in high school. I was working at a kindergarten back then, that was a really suffer time (I don’t even want to mention it now). Anyway, when I first heard about this news, my entire mind was thinking that I should pick an easy one, and that’s my initial reason for choosing the walking for Lupus.

However, I changed my mind after I actually get involved in this Lupus Walking. I was inspired by those people there; a lot of people came with their whole family, even the little kid who was sitting in a baby car. People are actually putting a lot of efforts and passions in it, even though they are not even blood related to the patients. As I listened to their speech, I gradually find out the significance of this event, it can actually inspire a lot of Lupus patients, and as people are doing the walking, they can also appeal other people to aware about this disease, and donate for those patients and encourage them to fight for disease.

After this walking, it makes me realize that I was so selfish back then. I should pay more attention on those people who need help in society and try my best to help them, and also appeal other people to help them. This is not about individual, but relates to
the whole society, if everyone corporate with each other to help the weakers, there is going to be less suffering in the society. I think if I have time during my later college life, or even after I go to work, I will continue to do some community services, because it’s not only a way to help others, but also a way to improve myself, either mentally or physically.

I learned a lot during this community service, I hope that any other people who did the community service feel the same way as I do. Well, helping others is also helping yourself.

My experience as a freshman in Baruch was definitely different compared to high school. The classes that I have been admitted in were challenging. People have always told me, college is different from high school. I never saw their logic. I’ve always thought, as long as you complete your assignments and pass your tests, you’ll do fine, just like high school. High school is school, college is school, is it not? Although this is true, each “function” differently. The minute I step foot into Baruch, I’ve established a goal of receiving a 3.5 GPA.  After the first couple of months, I questioned my ability to fulfill such goal. Unfortunately when I finally understood their logic, I was experiencing my first “all nighter”. Information that were given to me by my professors were too much to absorb. It would be reasonable to review the notes at home or whenever there is free time; this was easier said than done. In some classes, the professors would be able to motivate their students to study by organizing lesson plans that are not only informative but intriguing. These are the classes that motivate me to not only review the notes but also go an extra step and research. Unfortunately, there are classes that do not function the same way. Independence is key. The idea of studying off of textbooks or class readings sound easy, but just looking at them makes me loose interest. Thankfully, my mindset had changed just in time before the finals. I planned out my assignments reasonably to avoid staying up until 5 a.m. I am currently trying to be independent, “A for effort” no? If I could change anything about my freshman year, I would change my study habits. Studying last minute may work well in high school, but not in college. Rather than just passing the exams, being knowledgeable is essential as well. The knowledge that is obtained may be useful for other classes as well.