Convocation Day is a full day, mandatory event that aims to integrate first-year students to life on campus. While the idea of such an event does seem promising and necessary, the sheer number of people combined with the poor organization of the event is making the whole experience more intimidating rather than welcoming. 

The size of the incoming class of Baruch College expands every year, and the facilities preferred on campus to hold a big event like convocation day are too overcrowded for new students to enjoy the activities that are aimed to entertain and inform them about Baruch. The organization in past years has made this event questionable whether it truly reflects school culture and spirit correctly and effectively.

The loud music in the lobby combined with club members cheering to recruit new members could actually be fun if there was enough space to move and breathe. 

At this year’s convocation, student clubs were spread out on the second and third floors, and some rooms on the third floor were impossible to enter. 

Clubs did not get an equal chance of presentation since the plaza is still under construction and school gyms more suitable to host these types of events were not used. 

Timing was also a major issue. Unlike other years, when this convocation day was at least a few days prior to the start of classes, it was held  a day before the first day of classes. Newcomers did not have any time to process the experience of Convocation Day without having to prepare for classes the next day.

Most of the day is spent with the classic ice breakers that freshmen have a chance to do at least a few times more during the semester in their First Year Seminar class. 

The same ice breakers are done over and over with different peer mentors and sometimes with the same students. These activities should be replaced with more inclusive introductory activities, which is usually the intention, but not the result.

Convocation Day is an important milestone in becoming a college student. If more thought were put into this special day for the new students, considering that Baruch plans their calendars way in advance, then it would be a more memorable experience.