Author: Danica Salcedo

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Exams are going to be the death of me.

me

To be completely honest, I don’t know how to share tips on surviving DevCom exams because I, myself, am a professional at cramming. (note: I need an intervention)

I am one of the students who only study the night before the exams therefore gets little to no sleep which causes declining health and poor performance. Ain’t it fun?

Since sharing tips like “do not cram” would be very hypocritical of me, I decided to write about how I, someone who crams a lot, survive DevCom exams since y’all know we can’t help but cram. Kinain na ako ng sistema, mga sizt.

LISTEN! Listen during lectures and make sure to listen well. I assure you that your brain will retain most of the information from the lecture if you listen well enough.

Make a reviewer. Even if I always cram, I make sure that I have a reviewer. DevCom professors generously provide students with lecture slides and writing an outline of these slides really helps a lot in studying for exams especially if you’re studying last-minute. As you are writing your reviewer, make sure that you read and understand what you are writing. Don’t just run on autopilot and write things because that won’t help in remembering the lessons. Reviewers are also convenient because you can just pull it out of your bag and it enables you to go over the lessons anywhere.

Memorize and understand. DevCom exams have both objective and subjective parts. Although exams require a lot of memorization, it is crucial that one understands the concepts and knows them by heart. Since there are a lot of information that needs to be memorized, it helps that you memorize the first letter of every word or phrase. Of course, we all have various techniques in memorizing and what works for me may not work for you.

Do not force yourself. Your brain cannot take in all of the information that you are jamming in it if you don’t have the will to study. Forcing yourself to study will bring you no benefits and will also tire you out. If you know that you are forcing yourself to study, take a break then resume studying once your brain has had its rest.

Eat before taking the exam. Since I always do last-minute studying, the number of hours in my sleep is around 4-5 hours which can really drain the body. Eating before the exam will give you energy to answer the questions.

Of course, cramming is not a very efficient way to study because it can stress the hell out of you and will also endanger your grades unless you are the type to really absorb information while under time pressure. Given that the amount of workload in college can consume most of one’s time, it is not surprising that a lot students cram but remember that cramming should always be your last resort.

Good luck on your exams!

As our group, Dara and the Explorers, ventured out to find Lalakay’s Barangay Hall we have gained experiences that helped us realized how to gather data efficiently. Here are some insights that can help in gathering essential information:

Know where to go. Even though I am a resident of Los Baños, I am not very familiar with the Brgy. Lalakay since I rarely go out of my house. Knowing where to go before actually going to the place can save a lot of time and effort in finding the place where information will be gathered from.

Be prepared. When going to public offices, such as the barangay, it is very important that one has all the essentials because it shows that you are well-prepared. Essential things include an identification card and a request letter. Some people do not require us to bring request letters but when our group entered the barangay hall, we were told that we should have brought a request letter and it would be better to contact them beforehand. Being prepared shows that you are being considerate of their time and that is very important because you are the ones that needs something from them.

Be respectful. Asking for information without prior notice can be a little disrespectful to the people in the barangay since they are also working. It can be seen as rude to just barge in thus we have to adjust to them and be patient in acquiring information.

Gathering data can be quite a hard task especially if you do not know how to appropriately acquire information. Experiencing data gathering has added a lot to my knowledge on how to become a more efficient media writer and I hope to improve my skills in data gathering.

A month in the University of the Philippines has been one hell of a ride. As I take up the degree program, BS Development Communication, there are five things that I learned which I would like to bear in mind.

Bring only the essentials. It’s always important to be prepared but do not overpack. A heavy bag will most likely be a burden since the classes that we take are in buildings that are millions of kilometers away from each other. That’s an exaggeration but seriously do not try to pack your whole house into your bag.

Do it now. I say as I write this blog at 12am while trying not to fall asleep because the deadline is near. Cramming has always been a part of my school life since high school and it seems that I’ve brought my bad habits with me in college. I am most definitely not proud that almost every paper I passed was a product of cramming but y’all know what they say, old habits die hard. I’ve learned things the hard way but I am always trying to improve myself. (note to self: importante ang magpahinga, pero ‘wag puro pahinga.)

Ask for help. We all have to acknowledge the fact that we don’t always know what to do. This is why asking for help is very important. Remember, it’s not a crime to ask questions but it is also important to find the answers ourselves so that we can learn.

You’ve done it before, you can do it again. Sometimes the workload in college can be quite overwhelming and daunting. It can be very stressful but keep in mind that this is just the beginning and, as bad as it sounds, the worst is yet to come. But, I won’t let this stop me from being the very best that I can be. I’ve done this before, and I can do it again.

Life is not a race. I was a beginner amidst a crowd of experienced and skillful people. I felt like it was my first time to learn everything, from writing to interviewing. As I wasn’t a part of the campus journ in my high school, I really have no experience in media writing hence I struggled in doing every task that were given to us. “Ayoko na.” and “Suko na ‘ko.” repeatedly came out of my mouth during the last four weeks. But in every “Ayoko na.”, I listened to my professors and in every “Suko na ‘ko”, I did everything that were tasked to us. I studied. I wrote. I read. I learned. I moved forward.

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A DevCom student cannot simply go to the university unprepared. It is a must to bring all the essentials to perform efficiently while doing the school work that are tasked to us. Here are some of the things that a DevCom student will use on a daily:

By Jerome Atangan, Dara Montalbo, and Danica Salcedo

In line with the week-long celebration of the 18^th Bañamos Festival, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) of Los Baños spearheaded the implementation of various security measures to ensure peace and order, starting from the 16^th of September until the 22^nd.

Prior to the event, the MDRRMO led series of meetings since June, together with the PNP, BFP, Civil Society Organization and other NGOs in planning and crafting a security map. Cynthia N. Quintans, Disaster and Safety officer of Los Banos, said in an interview, “Nilagyan namin sila ng mapa, tapos nilagyan namin ng tao kung saan, kung sino ang mamamahala doon…” Aside from the execution of security measures, first aid stations and emergency medical services were also employed to safeguard the 12,500 registered attendees.

In addition, she mentioned the change in the starting point of the Civic Parade made by the office, from the Olivarez Plaza to Makiling Subdivision, to guarantee the welfare of the townspeople given that the previous location is undergoing construction. Meanwhile, as preparations were set, CCTV cameras were also installed in and outside the Multi-purpose Evacuation Centre as per instruction of the municipal mayor. Tightened security was also observed through the 24/7 surveillance service of the Los Baños PNP.

Quintans also reported that there are lower cases of accidents and fainting spells. The overcast weather proved to be beneficial “ …salamat sa weather, hindi naman sa dahil gusto naming umuulan pero nakatulong siya para mabawasan ang ini,” she explained.  After the parade, two cases of fainting were recorded _one during the civic parade and a pregnant woman during the program –which the MDRRMO units on stand by were able to immediately respond to.

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Photos captured by: Danica Salcedo

          

           

Rating myself has allowed me to be aware of the things I am lacking, and I realized that there are a lot of qualities and skills of a media writer that I should improve on.

Among the qualities listed, which quality would be the one that you need to work on the most? Why?

I think the quality I need to work on is intelligence since I am not that knowledgeable about most things in the field of communication, especially media writing. I should also be more industrious in reading and improving my writing skills.

Given your ratings, what keeps you from getting that 1.00 self-rating?

I believe that I have a lot of room for improvement. I am not that experienced in media writing and I have relatively poor communication skills that I need to work on.

Among the skills listed, which skill have you developed the highest competency? What contributed to the development of that skill?

I think I have developed my validating and clarifying information skills. Since fake news has been rampant, especially in social media, I have learned to check other sources of information by researching information from legitimate sites.

Among the skills listed, which skill would be the one that you need to work on the most to develop? Why?

I would have to improve my writing skills as it is an important skill in becoming a development communicator. Writing in a clear and concise manner will help me in accomplishing the activities that will be tasked in the future.

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As of now, I do not see myself as an efficient media writer as I lack the skills and qualities that constitutes a media writer. But, I do believe that being aware of my weaknesses will help me in improving my writing. The only thing left for me to do is to push forward.

Going back to my elementary days, I was one of the students that do their best at school and aim for the top. The name, Danica T. Salcedo, was always called up to the stage to receive academic awards.

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My years in elementary school were spent mostly in our classroom and library where I developed a passion for art and reading. I joined English Club in my grade school and got into writing, only to fall out of love from it as I entered high school. High school was indeed very different from elementary school. I was not the same student who always aimed for high grades, instead I settled for a passing score. Mediocrity has found its way in my life and my interest in writing has wavered.

Words seldom flow out easily from my mind to the paper. For me, writing is such a hard task. The process of thinking, gathering my thoughts, and writing in a concise way seemed very laborious to the mind. You can just imagine how long it took me to write this introduction of myself. I once dreamed of becoming a writer and a reporter but I am skeptical of myself that I have the adequate skills to make it come true. Despite the numerous uncertainties in my life, serving the people is one of the things that I am sure of.

Growing up in Los Baños and constantly seeing the University of the Philippines, it has always been a goal of mine to be considered an Iskolar ng Bayan. To be completely honest, taking up BS Development Communication was not a part of my plan. I am neither a good writer nor an efficient communicator but I am always willing to learn and try new things that are out of my comfort zone. I need to move forward in order for me to serve the people using the skills that will be honed in the College of Development Communication. I have witnessed the slow development in our country and the poor state of many Filipinos. These shortcomings elicit questions in me. What can I do for the people of our country? How do I communicate the cries of the poor in order for them to be heard? And considering the fact that I am inexperienced in the field of communication, will I be able to be an effective media writer?

Surely, there are lots of things that I know nothing of and I will probably encounter an abundance of barriers along the path of pursuing DevCom but how could I learn if I’m afraid to make mistakes? I know that I still have a long way to go and I am taking one step at a time towards honor and excellence.

Ang iskolar ng bayan ay patuloy na lalaban.