Author: Sofia Sanchez

by: Shanniah Peralta, Kristina Perez, and Sofia Sanchez (UV-2L)

Please click on the link below for the output:

https://blog6050.home.blog/2019/09/23/banamos-festival-presents-barangay-booth-fair-lane-of-crafts-and-origin/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tfkYOuhOyv2L5ByFw98sHvqTx_Nc-hv3/view?usp=sharing

At the beginning of the semester, I felt clueless and not up to par with my classmates in terms of being a development communicator. Prior to entering this program, I thought I was adequately prepared because of my background as a campus journalist, but it turned out that I still was not, and that I also had a lot more to improve. Inch by inch, output by output, I began to shape myself into the development communicator I aspire to be.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lhtgnzHimHGiSxKdoO1AcKnv0nz-YNMb/view?usp=sharing

In terms of qualities, the area I lacked in the most was in being interested in and loving to work with people. As someone who is shy, I tend to dislike having to talk the strangers, which is a no-no for DevCom students since we are required to work with them for some of our outputs. For this semester, I vowed to work on this, and now I feel a lot more comfortable with approaching people and talking to them for interviews and such. I also became more curious and inquisitive because being in DevCom opened my eyes to the realities of life, and made me realize that I should take a second look at the things I encounter everyday. In addition, I also became more industrious and resourceful due to all the outputs we were required to do, as well as the numerous setbacks we faced in completing them. Lastly, I also became more service-oriented because in DevCom, I realized just how privileged I was compared to other Filipinos, which was why the desire to serve them through my work burned a little brighter.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ojx-Nb-43ddWkeBPUzLP1HIwau3XT5la/view?usp=sharing

As for the skills, I improved the most in organizing information, because I now find it easier to sift through data and sort them based on their relevance. This skill came in handy in doing the outputs for our lab class, especially whenever we used different media. Other skills I improved in were gathering data and verifying/clarifying information, because I now felt more comfortable in interviewing other people as well as retrieving and validating information from legitimate sources. Lastly, although I improved a bit in the proficiency in using communication tools and devices, I still feel that I did not improve enough because my skills in using those tools are still not that good. However, I am still looking forward to the coming years because they will serve as more time for me to hone the needed qualities and skills to become an effective development communicator.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ikYuRqUq_ITAzfwEUHF-vHoDJ6ExLZno/view?usp=sharing

It still feels surreal that I managed to survive a semester in this university. I can still remember myself on the first day of classes—looking as lost and clueless as I felt. Back then, it seemed like I had done everything to prepare myself for this new phase, but looking back now, I realized that no amount of preparing was enough for everything this university threw at me. Though pointless, I sometimes wish I could talk to my past self and give her a few pointers on how to do things a little better than I had done.

Here are the top five pieces of advice I wish I could give to my past self:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1shNYtyyUvqanZ2Y6ePzl6FzoFnSpS7LR

1. Come to class prepared. I know this probably sounds basic but I never really realized how important this was until I entered college. If you got away in senior high school with not reviewing your notes before class, that would not work for college since a lot of professors like to give quizzes as the attendance. And though some might not give quizzes a lot of weight when it comes to grading, it still sucked to submit a blank sheet of paper.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qeiPspBvoA7WUqt8cmohR8lFfcPVlcbj/view?usp=sharing

2. Do not procrastinate. Again, this might seem like a basic piece of advice but college was the first to give me a taste of how badly procrastination can affect my life. I cannot even count the number of times I told myself this semester the words “if only I studied/did this earlier then I would have gotten a higher score.”  Often, procrastination led to all-nighters and adrenaline rushes due to 11:59 PM deadlines, both equally horrible to the feeling.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12vv9Uyq6yX6PvSEfXOQpqHcjXDdh-yg4/view?usp=sharing

3. Be Organized. This is honestly easier said than done, especially during the worst of the hell weeks, when you can barely think about doing anything other than studying. Organize everything, from the hard copies to the files on your computer, from the canned goods stacked on your kitchen shelves to the clothes in your cabinet. Make sure that you set aside one day every week to organize the mess you made, because this makes your dorm life easier—and your dorm mates will also thank you for not being a slob.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w27BpsruEqmOE-PE6plkt0lAw1zVSt15/view?usp=sharing

4. Keep in touch. One thing that makes college difficult is having to be away from your family and friends, which is why it is incredibly important that you find time to reconnect with them, even if that meant talking to your mom for  a few minutes or leaving a couple of messages to your best friend who goes to another faraway university. Though they would surely understand if you are too busy to hang out or go home on the weekends, it does not hurt to at least make some effort to let them know that you still have time for a little chat.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IHeNOkZhCUSjCysfDneqLl5DbbS4vsi3/view?usp=sharing

5. Be present. Something that I would truly regret is being absent during important events or even during hangouts with my college friends. I have yet to learn when to let myself breathe by not forcing myself to go to events I do not feel up for, and when to actually force myself, not just because attendance is required but also because it’s a once in a blue moon opportunity that I should give a chance to. So before you say “screw it, I won’t attend or come anymore,” take a pause and think: would it really hurt to drag your butt towards the door and have fun for once? At the very least, you can stock up on incentive points for being present in the needed events.

Get a glimpse of the quiet and small town of Tuy, Batangas!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LVCVBD8VcTuTch_NW-ErfyAI1u84DBpd/view?usp=sharing

If there is one thing all college students have in common, it would probably be the never-ending amount of stress we all feel every week. Whenever a hell week would seemingly be over, we would be slapped by another wave of exams and requirements, and it would feel as if the stress would never truly run out. This is why getting those rare acads-free days is one of the best things to happen during the semester.

So, how do we seize and maximize those days for unwinding? Here are a few of the things I do on my acads-free days to help you out.

1. Clean.

Whenever I’m in the middle of a hell week, cleaning is definitely at the very bottom of my priorities. With the pile of deadlines and exams I have to face, I no longer have the time nor the energy to even think about cleaning. This is why on acads-free days, I make it a point to clean and organize the dorm. Not only will this help me stay on the good side of my dorm mates, this also minimizes the feeling of stress I get whenever my environment is too cluttered. Plus, a clean workspace also helps us think more clearly.

2. Eat.

Hell weeks often involve tight schedules wherein we try to cram as best as possible before the deadline or the exam. It’s no wonder a lot of students also prioritize finishing their requirements instead of eating, which is why on my day-offs, I also tend to pig out a lot. Although this can be done alone, it might help reduce our stress more if we also eat with our friends, or with our families if we are able to go home for the weekends.

3. Sleep.

Hell weeks also often mean pulling all-nighters and functioning on caffeine only, which is why it’s always a good idea to catch up on sleep during acads-free days.

Realistically speaking though, it’s extremely rare to go a day without any academic-related things nipping at our heels. At most, we might get days that are relatively less-stressful than the others, wherein we might have less work to do. So for days like those, here are a few not-so time consuming activities we can squeeze into our schedule.

1. Listen to music.

I’ve always found it comforting to have several playlists to suit my varying moods. For others, music can be a great 2-5 minute break from the real world, or a quick way to uplift their mood when they are stressed.

2. Take a quick stroll.

Whether that be to the nearest fast food restaurant or carinderia, it’s always helpful to get off our butts and go outside for a short while, especially when our brains already feel like mush from all the studying we’ve been doing. This is also perfect for the non-sporty types who cannot squeeze in 30 minutes of exercise into their schedule.

3. Watch an episode of a well-loved series.

During hell weeks, I find it hard to get invested into a new series which is why I often just rewatch episodes of the series I’ve already watched several times. EXTRA TIP: find a series with motivational characters, preferably those who have the same ambitions or fields of interest as you are, and make that your go-to TV series. In my case, I always watch an episode of Grey’s Anatomy whenever I’m stressed, because not only does this remind me of my goal, this also brings back my lost productivity because of how motivating the characters are.

4. Remember to slow down every once in a while.

College will often feel like a race with too-fast runners, and it will be easy to succumb to the feeling of never being able to catch up. However, we must remember that though college feels like a race for the brightest and the quickest, it actually isn’t. It’s also for the strongest– those who are resilient and patient enough to work steadily to the finish line.

‘Yung race, it’s not only for those who are swift; it’s also for those who keep on going.

Vangie Gote

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pt-XNUlx_2hxRnP9DKUV434qOt_l5u_t/view?usp=sharing

Last October 10, the University of the Philippines Los Baños held its annual Loyalty Day, ushering in thousands of alumni who all had unique stories and life lessons to share. I was fortunate enough to meet Ms. Vangie Gote while strolling around Freedom Park, where her and her husband’s stall could be found. Displayed at their stall were jewelries like earrings, crystals, shirts, and other knick knacks.

Ms. Vangie was a graduate of BS Agriculture and majored in Sports Science under the batch 1987. She also revealed that she had a hard time in the university and even reached the point where she wanted to transfer. By then, she was also dropping subjects already. Fortunately, one of her professors managed to change her mind. “Why drop your subjects? The war is not yet over,” Ms. Vangie quoted her professor back then. Because of these words, she found the courage to continue taking her subjects and remain under her degree program as well.

“So, tinuloy ko yung subject niya. I failed,” she narrated with a laugh. “Pero yun ang naging basis ko para tumuloy sa course ko.”

According to Ms. Vangie, the encouraging words of her professor became her anchor throughout the 10 years she spent under her degree program. She also added that the race in the university is not based on speed, but on endurance, and as long as one chooses to keep going, then the race is still far from over.

Every year, thousands of soon-to-be high school graduates brave the long queues and tiring hours of applying for the UPCAT. These students have spent their summer months reviewing for the exam that will determine whether or not they will be admitted to the most prestigious university in the country. Every year, every UP constituent campus is flocked by the hopeful, all equally anxious and excited to take a shot at the long-awaited admission test. This year, as a DevCom freshman, I was one of the Iskos and Iskas who got the chance to talk with a couple of aspirants.

The first aspirant I was fortunate enough to converse with was Sarah Song, a Korean student who was to take the UPCAT at the College of Development Communication. Prior to interviewing her, she revealed nervously that she could not speak or understand Filipino. Despite this, our conversation still went smoothly and I was able to gain some information on her background, as well as her desire of going to UP.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/156yqKNb7Ip2vwTmSxX7YYAQM6tZPgVQp/view?usp=sharing

Sarah was from Nuvali, and was currently a student in Xavier School. When I asked her whether UP was her dream university, she reluctantly said no, before revealing that her wish to enter the university was more out of its prestige and rank in the country. To prepare for the test, she enrolled in the MSA Academic Advancement Institute Review Center. Still, she admitted that she was nervous for the test, particularly for the Filipino portion, considering that she was not fluent in the language.

As we chatted, the glaring absence of her parents also occurred to me. When I asked her about this, Sarah said that her parents did not come, but they still fully support her decision of going to UP. Like her reason, her parents also want for her to study in the country’s most prestigious university. Moreover, UP was also known to be welcoming to international students, a fact that Sarah and her parents saw as another pushing factor for her to take the UPCAT. It was on this note that our conversation ended, and after bidding her good luck and farewell, I left to look for another aspirant.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14zPFChaWe3Cmo6asMZknDXatNSS3_h4k/view?usp=sharing

Venturing to the College of Economics, I found Gabrielle De Chavez, another aspirant. Like Sarah, Gabrielle’s parents were nowhere to be found, but she had a friend to accompany her. Hailing from Tanauan, Batangas, Gabrielle was currently a student of FAITH Colleges or the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities. When asked whether UP was her dream university, she immediately answered ‘yes’. This was also why she felt a great deal of nervousness prior to taking the test.

Gabrielle’s preparation for the UPCAT was quite brief; she only started reviewing last August, when her classes started. According to her, she would often spend her free time in school reviewing with her other classmates, who were UP aspirants like her. Aside from this, she also said that she often studied by herself to better prepare for the test.

As for her parents, Gabrielle said that despite their absence, they were actually supportive in her dream of entering UP. In fact, her mother was the one to take care of the necessities for the UPCAT, like the test permit. In reviewing, her parents also showed their support by helping her understand certain lessons and concepts she had difficulties with.

Chatting with these two aspirants was like a trip down the memory lane for me because I saw a great deal of my past self in them as they anxiously waited for the test to begin. However, it was also important to remind them and other UP aspirants that the dream should not end in the UPCAT results only. Above everything, we must aspire to be selfless servants of our country, and doing so should not be limited to being an Isko/Iska only. Whatever university they end up in, this dream should be the one they would keep the fire burning for.

• 

For plenty of students, nothing is more terrifying than taking an exam feeling unprepared while also knowing that the exam is worth half (or more) of your final grade. Exams are among the most anxiety-inducing aspects of college, but unfortunately, they’re not going anywhere. The only option left for us students is to try our best in preparing for them.

By now, a lot of students might have already mastered the “Art of Highlighting” wherein they highlight the important-looking words and then hope for the best. Though this might work for some, chances are the majority of us are not as fortunate.

When it comes to reviewing, we retain information better if we actively try to memorize and understand them. Instead of just passively reading through our notes, we can opt to do any of the following: Rewrite our notes and annotate while going through the slides, read our notes out loud as if we are teaching the concepts to another person, and review with friends by exchanging ideas on how everyone understood the concepts

Of course, active ways to study are not restricted to these ways only because there are still other variations. The important thing is that our brain actively works while reviewing in order to retain information better.

There are times when the exam coverage involves 10 or more Powerpoint presentations with countless slides in each of those. Seeing the amount of information to be studied might seem daunting at first, which is why learning to break down information into smaller pieces is a handy skill to have. By dividing the lessons into smaller parts, we get to retain things better. Moreover, this enables us to filter out the unimportant information and focus only on what needs to be studied.

It’s very common for us to exchange hilarious “cramming” stories with our friends, but in reality, nobody really likes having to cram during the exam week. Not only does cramming lower our capability of remembering things, it also increases unnecessary stress due to the feeling of not having enough time to study everything that needs to be studied.

So instead of leaving everything to the last minute, learn to space out study sessions at least a few days before the exam. This way, we have more time to go over everything and the information actually sticks better to our memory.

Because college subjects are a lot harder than anything we studied before, it’s only inevitable that we reach a point wherein we have no choice but to ask for help in order to understand a certain topic. However, because of our tendency to hate asking for help, we often choose to forego approaching others.

We have to remember that there’s no harm in admitting that we don’t know everything. In college, we cannot always be the smartest person in the room, and that is okay. Asking for help does not equate to being dumb; in fact, it opens more doors for better learning.

Pulling all-nighters might have worked before, but when you’re in college, doing so will only put you at higher risk of getting sick, which is another no-no. All-nighters work a lot like cramming; the capability to retain things only decreases while the stress continuously increases.

The night before the exam, it is important to get at least seven hours of sleep to avoid feeling groggy the next day. Our memory is also enhanced when we sleep after reviewing.

For more religious people, praying is the best way to ease our pre-exam jitters. Instead of stressing over the nagging feeling that we still have not studied hard enough, it is better to remember that we already did our part and the rest is up to Him now. By placing our full trust on Him and allowing His wisdom to fill our mind, we will be prepared for anything that the exams will throw our way.

In all honesty, my first month as a college student did not feel like I was in college at all. It was not because the classes were easy—because they really were not—but because college itself felt surreal, like my mind still had not caught up with the idea that I was no longer a child, and that I was finally entering a bigger playground. Most of the time, I just felt like I was attending another schools’ press conference or maybe even a seminar, with all the writing and mingling I was forced to do. The only difference was that this “seminar” did not end after a week; it just kept stretching on and on, until my brain finally accepted that I was going to be in college for the next four years or so, whether I liked it or not.

A month-long stay in the University of the Philippines felt like a semester already, but it was not enough to teach me everything I needed to know about my program and college life in general. However, I did pick up a few useful tips along the way.

First, bringing an umbrella is always a must.

Back in senior high school, I used to always have an umbrella with me because the university I went to was located just beside the sea. After a while, I began to forego bringing an umbrella partly due to my own laziness and partly because I did not feel bothered by the sun’s scorching rays anymore. I entered UPLB with the belief that I was ready for its heat, but boy, I was wrong.

Not only is UPLB a lot hotter than I expected, its weather is also very moody, to the point that students have just accepted that although it is sunny now, the rain can still pour a minute later. This is why having an umbrella is always a must for Elbi people.

Second is to learn to be on top of your responsibilities.

Basically, college life is just a taste of what being an actual adult will be like later on. Upon entering college, I was met with responsibilities like paying bills, budgeting allowances, buying medicine, cleaning the dorm, and a lot more. To top things off, I also had to adjust my study habits in order to keep up with all my classes.

To avoid drowning from all the tasks and responsibilities I needed to keep track of, I started using a planner where I could write down my to-do lists, as well as the deadlines and due dates for my bills. Not only did I manage to remember everything I needed to accomplish for that week, I also felt pleased every time I would check off a task from my lists.

Third is to treat everything as a learning experience.

Prior to entering college, I was used to being among the top students and excelling academically. This all changed when I started studying in UP, wherein every person I met seemed smarter than me. Although discouraging at first, I learned to shift my point of view and begin perceiving these people not as competition, but as people I could learn a thing or two from.

Doing so not only eased the pressure of wanting to become better than everyone, but also humbled me into accepting that I cannot always be the sharpest tool in the shed, and that is not something I should fret about.

Fourth is to keep in touch with family and old friends.

Studying four hours away from home might not feel like much for some, but it was definitely a big change for a sheltered person like me. Often times, the amount of requirements and studying I had to do took up most of my free time, which was why I rarely called my family and friends during the first few weeks of college.

Eventually, I began to feel homesick. Fortunately, I also learned to manage my time better which was why I got to keep in touch with my family and friends more often, which lessened the feeling of homesickness and allowed me to adjust to college life better.

Fifth and last is to cry when necessary.

College life is definitely hard and breakdowns also happen more often due to an endless number of reasons like homesickness, difficult subjects, failing grades, etc. When problems like these pile up, one healthy way to reduce stress is to pause everything and just cry it all out. Afterwards, it is a lot easier to focus on the tasks in hand because your mind is clearer, and your emotions will not feel as scattered as they are before.

With every passing day, more and more lessons are thrown to me as I try to survive college life. And although the road is still long, I am comforted by the knowledge that somewhere beyond the humps and turns of the winding road lies the destination I am dreaming of.

• 

One important skill that a development communicator-in-training must hone is gathering data, and in order to develop this skill, one must practice it in the field as often as possible. This is exactly what we did on our first data gathering activity in Brgy. Bambang.

What method of data gathering did the group employ/use the most? Why?

Our group used the interview method because not only was it easier to gather the information we needed through this method, it also ensured us that the information we were getting was updated because it came directly from the primary source.

Based on what you learned from this activity, give at least three (3) tips on data gathering that you can share with the next batch of BSDC freshmen.

1. Come prepared. Bring all of the necessary signed documents, as well as your phone and earphones for the interview.
2. Be polite. Often, officials are more lenient and friendly when they are approached in a polite manner. Doing so will also secure a good impression on them in case you need to approach them again in the future.
3. Be smart in gathering data. Prior to gathering data at the venue itself, you must first determine the kind of information you need in order to be efficient during the actual data gathering proper.