Author Archives: maria.vlahopoulos

1) I never really had high expectations for college to begin with, so Baruch has surpassed my expectations. I did think more people would be in the school spirit promoting people to come to basketball games that sort of thing. I didn’t realize I would be getting this much work. I knew I would have to put time into work but I am really not used to getting all this work at once all being due around the same time.  I knew commuting to college would be irritating but I still haven’t managed to get used to it. Hopefully, that will change in the next couple of weeks.

2) I think my first semester is going pretty similar to many of the other freshman this year. We’re all still trying to adjust to the work, and time management is a bitch. I’m enjoying this semester because of the friends I made, and the clubs and team I have joined. I did slack off which resulted in me doing poorly in classes I did not think I would have done that bad in, but that’s my own fault. I should have spent less time doing work, then just going home and relaxing. I now know for next semester.

3) If I could go back and change something, it would definitely be trying harder, and putting in 100% into all the work I do. I would also not procrastinate as much, because i did that a lot. Putting more effort into my homework and studying would have made this semester less stressful.

4) I don’t think I changed since college started. I think I became more aware that college isn’t all fun and games and that you need to put in the work to do well unlike high school.

5) Next semester i hope to get my act together and keep a very high GPA while doing well in softball. I hope we become the  CUNYAC championship. I hope that i learn to manage my time well enough that I can start playing the piano again, and become as good as i used to be.

Hey guys! As you probably already know my name is Maria Vlahopoulos and I’m a freshman at Baruch College. When people first meet me, they might think I’m a bubbly short Greek girl, but when you get to know me, you realize I’m much more than that. I was raised in a very religious Greek Orthodox household. Greek was my first language, I did not learn English until I was about 5 (which is hard to tell because I do not have a thick Greek accent.) I went to Greek private school for about 10 years, which had it’s ups and downs. Since I was the girl who always hung out with the guys, I was the one girl they blamed for everything. I got detention for almost everything I did even when I didn’t do anything wrong (or so I thought.) The plus of Greek school was the fun Greek plays we did and the friends I made that I’m still close with today.

One thing you guys probably already know about me, because I talk about it  every week in this class, is that I play softball. I’ve been playing since I was 7 and I never plan on stopping. Playing softball has shaped me into the person I am today. It has transformed me into the persistent leader I am today. Right away when I started high school I got into many clubs and sports. I bled blue and orange which were our school’s colors. My senior year I was captain of the softball team, and co-captain of the volleyball team and the Robotics team. Balancing all that and two AP’s was pretty difficult, but I learned to balance my time and still have time for myself.

I see myself as very optimistic. I’ll always try to find the “bright side” of every tough situation I or someone else may be in. One thing I hate is seeing people sad. It gets me just as sad as them sometimes even worse. I’ll find anyway to make a joke just see that person smile or chuckle while their crying. From what my friends say my shoulder is a pretty good place to cry on. I don’t tell them what they want to hear I tell them the truth. On March 18, 2010 disaster struck. My best friend’s sister passed away; and I was in complete shock. This young 20 year old girl, that me and my best friend annoyed as if she were my own older sister, passed away. I didn’t know what to say to my best friend. Sorry wasn’t good enough. Then I realized that sometimes not saying anything was fine. Just being a shoulder for her to cry was enough. I knew at that point, that I needed to be with her every step of the way. I was with her everyday, making sure she was always occupied with something, to get her mind off of it until she was able to accept it. It was at that point that I realized you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone. As cliche as that phrase is, it’s true.

I’ve always tried to find something cool with my initials, because I feel like everyone has a cool acronym for their initials. The only interesting thing I can come up with is the my initials stand for Momentum which is  P=mv. Another cool fact is that my dad’s name is Leonidas. That’s the same name used in the leader of the 300 pack. But, my dad is nothing like the leader of the 300 pack. He’s 5’2 and isn’t Spartan.

Some hobbies that i enjoy besides sports are crocheting and playing the piano. With winter coming up, I’ve already purchased many balls of yarn to make scarves. (If you want one let me know after class and I can give you a good deal) I’ve been playing the piano since I was 6, but I recently stopped because 24 hours each day isn’t enough to do everything. During the winter break, I plan on playing again and getting back to how good I used to be. If you ever come to my house you’ll find someone arguing and someone cooking. It’s pretty much a typical Greek family in my house, and I love every minute of it. My parents are pretty over-protective. One thing they won’t let me do right now is dorm, but I know it’s because they love me and care for me. Baruch hasn’t changed me yet it’s just made me more stressful but happy to know that I have softball next semester so that’s something to look forward to. I hope to adjust to the college life soon so I can enjoy my next 4 years.

Hi! my name is Maria Vlahopoulos and I’m obssesed with softball, music, and crocheting. I see myself as a very happy-go-lucky person but very big on my beliefs and traditions. I am Greek Orthodox so we celebrate things a little different than Catholics. I’m pretty down to earth yet at the same time hyper and bubbly. You’ll always see a big smile on my face unless I am very upset or confused in class. I’m always optimistic with things I never see the glass half empty. My top 3 concerns about freshman year would have to be the following: 1) Not making the softball team- I’ll probably cry if I don’t cause I won’t feel as involved to the school.

2) Doing terrible my first semester- I want to get all the A’s I can now, before the classes get more dificult.

3) Not getting familiar with the school- I want to explore the school and be able to know where I am going. If another freshman were to ask me where a certain office is I want to be helpful and be able to tell them.

So far, I can tell that college will be different from high school by the workload. I’ve gotten more homework in the past 3 weeks in Baruch then I have in 3 months at Lehman High School. Well, I probably did get a decent amount of work at Lehman, but I just rarely did it. I feel that college is a better place for each person so express themselves. I’ve met so many different types of people each with their own style. My high school did have it’s own variety of people but it’s nothing comparing to Baruch. Baruch will be different since here we’re able to start all over and go about things a completely different way. In the next 4 years I imagine to see myself a more mature and intelligent and hopefully slimmer version of what I am today. College is an amazing experience to finally be able to answer the questions, “Who am I?” and “What do I want to do for the rest of my life?” With college I want to gain courage, strength, and individuality.