The Graduate Baruchian

By Emily McMillen, MBA, Accounting 2012

It’s time for another semester here at good ole Baruch and from the looks of it, it’s going to be a doozy. For those of you who have just joined us, I welcome you. For the past four semesters of my career here at Baruch I have picked a few tips and tricks that I feel it is my duty to share as I proceed through my final semester and eventually across the graduation stage (if I play my cards right). So listen up, kids, because I’m only going to say this once…and then publish it online forever.

Timing is everything.

Like most things in life, the time you arrive anywhere can help, hurt, or at least help you avoid a major inconvenience. This applies especially if you have to deal with the many administrative offices we have. If you are too early or too late you can be facing a significant amount of waiting time. The biggest culprit for us MS/MBA types? The academic advisement office.

In order to circumvent the fact that this office will eat up every second of free time you don’t have, you should be 1. aware of the office hours, and 2. know which time during the semester to avoid if you can help it. Basically, if you are just looking for a degree audit or something else not very time sensitive, wait until the add/drop period is over by a good couple of weeks. However, be sure to get it done before registration is on its way. So really you have about a 3 week window to take care of business. Beyond that, be sure to check out the academic advisement website. Don’t bother calling though, chances are no one will pick up.

Network Network Network!!

Baruch provides many opportunities to network outside of the classroom. Between the Graduate Student Association sponsored socials on the 14th floor, and the not-so-sanctioned Baruch Graduate Social group found on facebook, there are plenty of students mixing and mingling. In business school, you are your network and the guy sitting next to you in your bus com class could be the next Steve Jobs. If that is the case, it’s worth getting his name and sending him a linkedin invite.

Make friends with students a semester or two ahead of you.

This is probably the most valuable resource here at Baruch. The advantage of making friends with these veterans is they will be able to tell you what the professor is like, what their tests are like, and more importantly can be a wealth of study materials for exams. Someone may have “review packets” or old formula sheets that they are willing to share. Best of all some of them are willing to sell you old textbooks on the cheap. So instead of going straight to the bookstore or half.com, ask your buddy in CIS if they have an old book they are willing to lend or sell.

Avoid the 3rd floor of the library building like the plague.

If you have serious issues concentrating on studying in a noisy environment this is not the location for you. For some reason this floor is ridiculously loud for a library. Between people thinking it is OK to chat on their cellphones and ugrads chatting about what happened on Gossip Girl the night before, there is little to no chance on getting anything done. On top of that there is no enclosure from the atrium in the building where you can hear everything happening on the 2nd to 8th floors of the building.

Instead, I suggest utilizing the 4th or 5th floor where there is a glass enclosure and the general sentiment of those working is one of staying silent. The one caveat is that the library is generally packed almost all of the time. With the population of Baruch constantly growing, the chances of finding a decent space is difficult. The best place I can suggest for you is to go to the CUNY Graduate Center at 5th ave and 34th st. This center has been designed to foster research and continued learning for graduate students and is located in a beautiful landmark building in the center of Manhattan. It boasts a library with thousands of rare books and plenty of space to study.

Use the Graduate Career Management Center.

In order to participate in on campus recruitment activities you are required to complete a series of workshops before you can apply for a number of sought after opportunities. These workshops include everything from putting together a resume that will make you stand out to mock interviews to brush up on your skills. Additionally, the GCMC hosts workshops run by professionals working for the companies you want to work for and multiple career fairs a year. So take advantage of this resource and be ready to put your best foot forward.

Get Involved.

Last but certainly not least, get involved on campus. The average graduate student finds it hard to get involved with on campus activities, but as a school we have a large number of graduate student groups. Baruch features clubs with many different interests including Accounting, Finance, Real Estate, The Arts, Entrpreneurship and more. Although we at the Grad Baruchian are not officially affiliated with Baruch College, we are a group purely comprised of Baruch graduate students who have created a vehicle to express our opinion on what is important to us. We are always looking for new contributors as other clubs on campus are always looking for new members. Getting involved is a great way to build your resume. Whether it’s being VP of the Tax Society or Editor of the Grad Baruchian, campus involvement will always look good to recruiters.

I wish all of you luck this semester and hope to see all of your bright smiling faces at our next Grad Baruchian meeting on Tuesday, February 21st, 9pm at the Hairy Monk (Obligatory shameless contributor recruitment plug). You’ve heard our opinions and now we want to hear yours!

Originally Published Feb 14, 2012