It has been years since I last posted in this blog and I finally found the time and the urge to write about something today, so bear with me because this will be lengthy.
At about this time of year, thousands of students who are about to graduate high school are choosing where to go for college. Its hard to choose, especially for those who are fortunate enough to be admitted to all the schools applied to.
Today, I will share my own experience and how my thought process helped me find the best school for ME.
Yes, for ME, in uppercase letters, because sometimes, some students choose the school that they feel is best for their parents or their friends but not really for them. At the onset, I'd like to say that if you are choosing your school to please others, you just might be starting off on the wrong premise. Not that, there is anything wrong with that. If that is what makes you happy, then fine, you have an easy choice to make, if your choice later on doesn't work out, you have someone else to blame. But really, choosing the school that you like will save you a lot of frustration and heartache.
Peachy Circa 1991-1992
It was the last year of my high school. As early as June, conversations with friends and classmates would often revolve around where you are going to study in college. It was important because that year the UPCAT was conducted in August. (I think it still is). I think there is no question whether one has to take the UPCAT or not. The important question for me was what degree program to take. And if you are a well-rounded person with all sorts of interests you will have a hard time choosing because UP has the widest array of degree programs to choose from.
The good thing was, I knew where my passions lie. I love to write. I read a lot and after totally letting go of my dream to be a Chemist or be in the sciences, the story of which deserves another post, I had always wanted to be a novelist. So, I wanted to study creative writing.
The thing is, when I announced my choice to my Dad, he had all sorts of opinion about it. He said there was really no money in it. He told me to choose something more practical. At that time, law was never on the radar. It was not a dream. My Dad's opinion hurt. He said the choice was up to me, but I know somehow I had to make my family proud of my choice, but I did not want to give up my passion.
So, after poring over the list of degree programs offered in U.P. for several nights, I finally decided on taking up Mass Comm major in Journalism. I announced my choice to my Dad and he was quite pleased. He said, I could be the next Che Che Lazaro. My cousin Kuya Bobby Ky said I could be like Maria Ressa. Lolz!
At the onset, I could say that U.P. was my first choice. Maybe, I was conditioned for it because my Dad and my grandfather and some of my aunts and uncles including a cousin went to UP. But, i needed a fall back in case my U.P. plan doesn't fall through. So I applied at ADMU for International Studies which was all the rage at that time. Then, I applied at La Salle for LiaCom. I also applied at Mapua Institute of Technology in Computer Engineering and UST in Mass Comm, to accompany my bestfriend.
I passed U.P. Mass Comm, DLSU Lia Com, an Honors Degree, and MIT Computer Engineering. I was not able to take the UST Exam anymore because the schedule of the exam was April when my choice had already been made. I am not afraid to admit I failed ADMU. My brother jokingly told me that maybe it was because we only had one car. He made that comment because in the ADMU application form they had all sorts of questions about financial capacity like how many cars does your family own, or how much your parents make in a year.
My choice was between DLSU and U.P. I actually had a hard time choosing because LiaCom was a great degree for me. I can major in communications in Liberal Arts and Business Management for the Commerce Degree. I finish actually two degrees in just a little over 4 years. I would make myself and my family happy.
But, DLSU was an hour's commute from our house on a good day. I live in Fairview, Quezon City. I was also afraid of commuting to the Manila area. I grew up practically in Katipunan Ave., having studied high school in Miriam College. DLSU was also trimestral. School breaks were short and that meant no long summer vacations in Iriga for me for several years. The sacrifice I had to make to finish 2 degrees in five years. There was a big adjustment to make. Finally, the clincher was the tuition fee. DLSU at that time charged around P7,000+ per trimester. (Yes, I know, that was ages ago.). That's P21,000+ per school year.
U.P. on the other hand was just in the 15-30 minute range away from our house. Yep, it was 2 rides away, but, at least I was not worried too much about holdap and the lines in the jeepneys were orderly. I was familiar with my surroundings in U.P. Diliman and I felt safe walking around. I also loved the idea of being able to have long breaks to see my family in the province. And they have no classes on Wednesdays to give time to students to do research. That was important to me because even at that time I felt that giving students space to learn on their own is more important than absorbing theories in classrooms.
At that time also I wanted to learn about the world without the preconceived norms of a sectarian school. I have nothing against sectarian schools. In fact, I came from Miriam which is strongly Roman Catholic. My son is studying in a catholic school. But, at that time, I felt that my faith should be tested against the realities of the world. I wanted to learn about the world without the filters of religion. Yes, I was that deep even as a 16 year old college freshman. I knew only U.P. can give me that kind of education.
So, I finally chose U.P. Diliman.
My Tips To You
Having laid down a lengthy history of how I ended up in U.P. let me summarize to you just some pointers to help you choose your college.
1. Find your Passion. Choose your dream.
There are so many considerations in choosing a course, but you should always start with your dream. What do you really want to do? What do you want to become?
The thing is, at 16, students rarely know what to do with their life. Sometimes they do, but they are not really sure. It's okay. Work with what you feel and think you want to do at this time. Life is a journey. You can always change goals when you become sure.
2. Choose the school that will give you the best education in your chosen passion or dream.
Start researching about the school's achievement in the degree program or field you chose. Who are their alumni? What are their success stories? Who are their faculty?
At the time I chose U.P., I knew that they had stellar alumni like Loren Legarda, Ogie Alcasid, and Che Che Lazaro taught in the Broadcasting Department.
3. Choose the school that would give you the best college experience.
When I was still undergoing the process of choosing the school to study in, I observed the students and how they behaved. I admit, at that time I was biased against ADMU. Their students had cars, were trendy and wore signature clothes. The students were in our colloquial terms at that time "cono kids". I really felt I would find it difficult to fit in. DLSU on the other hand felt more down to earth.
Now, U.P. felt more liberating. There was a wider array of groups of students that thrived. There were cono kids and squatter kids and middle class kids. It was not difficult to fit in. You will always find a group that will accept your individuality, your quirks and idiosyncracies. You will be allowed by your friends to think deeply and well, without anyone thinking that you are weird. In fact, you might even feel that they are weird for accepting your weirdness.
Now, ask yourself, is the school that you choose allow you certain basic freedoms like having a cellphone? Express yourself by allowing a wash day where you can wear whatever you want as long as it is within school regulations? (Of course there should be regulations... Imagine if students can come to school wearing bikinis... Lolz!). Does the faculty allow students to express themselves in dialogues and in the classrooms? What activities does the school have to encourage individual growth and independence?
4. Lastly... The Realities
After having outlined #s 1-3, the sad part is that nowadays there are realities that one has to contend with, starting with... can my family afford to send me to college? If they do, can they afford to send me to the course I chose?
Now, don't despair because there is always a way. Scholarships abound. So much too choose, you only have to submit requirements. Also, the better ones require good grades in high school so you should have prepared since your freshman year in high school knowing that your family might have difficulty in sending you to college. There is always a way. The important thing is your dedication to get an education.
Sometimes the reality is that you cannot afford to go somewhere else for your college education. There are so many local colleges and universities who can offer quality education at half the price of a Manila education. And most companies nowadays don't mind accepting job applicants from provincial schools. Locally, of course you have UNEP :-), USI, ADNU, B.U., DWCL, AUL, CBSUA, CSSAC... So many to choose from, offering programs as good, if not better than NCR Schools. The key is to be open to all possibilities. Don't close the door for other eventualities.
5. At the end of the day, Follow Your Heart.
Yup, at the end of the day, it is what you want that will prevail. You always have a choice. There are no NOs in life, only WAIT. Take it from me. I have seen so many success stories of students who walk to school so they can have money for snacks. Beyond the neatly pressed uniforms are sacrifices that students make to be able to finish a college education. I know of a gay friend in U.P. who was orphaned right before college and he was able finish school by winning gay beauty contests, going as far north as Ilocos and as far south as Leyte just to be able to use his winnings for school expenses. Talking of tyaga!
Really... What you will be will only be determined by your own commitment to your success.
In Closing
So, in choosing a school, choose well so that you don't waste your youth. Remember time is an unrenewable resource. Do not waste it. It will save you a lot of money too.
I hope I was able to help all those having difficulty to choose. Please don't hesitate to comment if you have any opinion regarding my post.
Thank you for spending time in reading this lengthy article.
Until the next post,
Peachy
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