Student Profile
Claudiu
- Class: Junior
- Major: Business
- Gender: M
- High School: High School of Economics & Finance
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
The best thing at Baruch is definitely the location and the amenities that students here enjoy. First off, Baruch is located on 24th Street and Lexington Avenue, which is basically on the southeastern fringes of Midtown. In short, the school is close to the two main areas of business activity in the city, the other one being, of course the Financial District. In fact, thereÕs a saying at Baruch that reads like this: ÒItÕs not that far from 24th Street to Wall Street.Ó This saying confirms the geographical proximity but also attests more importantly the unique fiber that runs through our school. One thing I would change is to involve more people in learning about the selective recruiting process that financial firms have for applicants seeking to secure a summer internship or even an internship during the semester. What most people in Baruch think is that if they manage to graduate on time, everything will take care of itself. First of all, we do have a great resource, which is our STARR career development center. There, students can seek advice on how to a resume and cover letter, as well as participate in mock interviews to take some of the jitters away when going on a real interview. Every student should take advantage of this resource early on and not wait until they are about to graduate in order to get an internship. Another crucial thing that people fail to be aware of is that most of these summer internships may lead to full-time job opportunities with the firm, of course, depending on the performance during the internship. Second of all, I would try to have more classes or extracurricular events that are geared toward educating students on some of the things they should know before going on the interview. As Baruch students, we need to impress employers with the skills and knowledge we have about the finance industry. Walking into that interview unprepared does not bode for that studentÕs prospects for getting that internship and at the same time reflects poorly on the school itself. The school size is fine the way it is now. However, the only two things that I have comments about are the housing and the old school building. Currently Baruch does not have dorm to house their students. While I am aware of the fact that not all students would like to dorm, those that do donÕt have much in the way of options. There is one residential development undertaken by City College Ð another good college under the CUNY umbrella, which allows students from Baruch looking for affordable housing to live with City students in a building close to their campus. New York cannot really be called a college town per say since the city is quite huge and hosts a great variety of different population, not only college students. ThatÕs the good part about living in this beautiful city. The opportunities abound at every corner.
Academic Life
Some professors on campus do know my name. For instance, I am taking an International Business class this semester with a professor that is unique even when compared with some of the better professors at Baruch. He keeps the class interested by making jokes that somehow relate to the topic he is discussing. He encourages participation and the students feel compelled to participate due to the nice personality the professor displays in the class. In other classes, particularly, the finance classes, there are a lot of students in the class and so participation suffers and takes a back seat to the lecture of the professor. It is harder for students to work up their courage and ask a question in that large a class, especially given the difficulty of the classes. I am taking a futures class right now that combines the features above, however, the professors is one of the best in the school, he is a director at one of the major futures exchange, and so, he makes class a little more bearable. Students at Baruch, like students everywhere, study when they have the time to study. Now since students at our school are so involved with part-time, leadership roles on campus (you know, those resume filling activities?), the time they left is even more limited. What usually happens is that around midterms or finalÕs time, the library Ð which by the way is open 24/7 during that time, is full of students who huddle together in the library and help each other out. The only downside is that the offices in the library are not staffed after 12 oÕclock midnight, in which case, students may not borrow a book on reserve or take out a laptop. But who needs those anyway since every Baruch student is ingenious in finding what we need?
Student Body
Baruch College has supposedly the most diverse student population in the country. Therefore, itÕs a little bit hard to say that there are conflicts among students or that somebody would feel out of place. The only reason I could think of that someone would feel out of place would be if that person is looking for the college campus atmosphere that people encounter at some of the school that have more amenities, including dormitories or green space. But who would need that stuff if youÕre studying business? YouÕre in it to make the big money, no? Baruch students seem to be friendly to each other, maybe less so when it comes to grades Ð in that respect, everyone tries to be competitive. Outside of the classroom, however, students come together to be part of the multitude of clubs that we have on campus. I canÕt really say the students dress really fashionably. Most guys get suited up, whereas girls look like they know what theyÕre doing (IÕm not too at describing their clothes that well!). And while weÕre on the same subject, I can say as a guy you can spot really good-looking girls that you probably would expect to see on campuses with a big college sports presence. By the way, Baruch does have its sport teams and thereÕs a lot of good spirit flowing around but usually it stays within the close circle of the team members and the immediate staff.
The Best Things
The students
The Worst Things
Not having dorms.
