Category: Week 09

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Thousands of dreams are expecting to be achieved that day. You can see young people who are obviously nervous, some are just relaxed, and some are reading their reviewers even though the doors of the exam halls are about to open. Every year, UPCAT testing centers are packed. Aside from this, there’s always a long line every single day of UPCAT applicaton. This year, it has been much harder for applicants because they can only submit their documents in UP Diliman. On the last day of appliction, it was like a zombie apocalypse. A lot of students flock to UP Diliman campus that day.

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Joven, 17, when asked if the exam was hard said, “As expected, it was hard. What saddens me more is the fact that I reviewed much in the past few months yet what I have reviewed wasn’t there.” But for a student who has a great dream, nothing can hinder him from achieving it. “As long as you put your heart on it,” Joven added.

Free tuition fee is one of the reasons why students want to pass the UPCAT. Getting quality education for free is a privilege, that’s why you must work hard for it. Joven belongs to a family who can’t afford tuition fee for private universities. He wanted to study in his dream university and at the same time help his family by getting free education.

Joven enrolled in a review center as a preparation for the UPCAT. He thought that he was not ready for the exam because of not having enough knowledge, but he believes that “no one is ready for anything, it’s just a matter of courage in fighting along the battle.” He also said that he did all the rituals that are believed to be effective for UPCAT takers. He asked other people to sharpen his pencil and even sharpened his pencil in front of the Oblation, leaving the pencil shavings there. With a little bit of cramming and a whole lot of prayers, Joven was brave enough to take the exam.

Joven is really determined to achieve his UP dream. If in case he won’t pass the UPCAT, he will apply for reconsideration or he will enroll in other university or college then apply for transfer. For Joven, UP is beyond a dream. He believes that UP is “where I want to be, where I belong, and where I want to grow.” Joven is really hopeful that he will be an Isolar para sa Bayan.

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Leinard is a 17-year-old UPCAT aspirant who has relatives who are UP alumi. His relatives advised him to take the exam. According to him, “Even though you had exerted effort in reviewing the things that are said to be ‘included’ in the exam, you cannot tell if you really are ready for the test.” Nonetheless, Leinard took the exam hoping for the best.

Free tuition fee is also one of the reasons why Leinard chose UP. He also said that people in UP are very open-minded when it comes to unconventional things and ideas. He wanted to immerse himself in an environment wherein he can improve his skills and at the same time meet people who are motivated to learn just like him.

UP is beyond a place for good quality education/excellent professors. Leinard is fascinated of how people in UP see things. He believes that UP can transform him into a person with new news perspective in life. One of the reasons why UP is one of the greatest schools in the Philippines is because we don’t just read books and listen to lectures, we become Filipinos not just by blood but by heart. UP aims for holistic development for the Hope of the Nation.

UPCAT might be the reason why some are walking out of exam halls with tears in their eyes, but I can assure you that all will be worth it when you can finally say that you are an Iskolar ng Bayan. Reach for your dreams and don’t give up on them. Remember that those things that we had a hard time achieving are those that we value the most.

“Feeling ko po kasi dito mahuhubog yung mismong pagkatao ko, at bilang isang mamamayan.”

Shiena Mae Modena, UP Aspirant

It’s that time of the year again, hundreds of aspiring students, with hopeful hearts and test permits on hand, go to the University of the Philippines Los Banos to take the highly anticipated college admission test. As I was walking around, I couldn’t help but reminisce the time that I was one of them back then as well. I remember just dreaming to be studying at the university, and I cannot believe that I am still here up today. So, on October 6, I met up with my friend Daniel, so that we could interview together with the hopeful aspirants who may be a part of the freshmen batch next year. While we were walking, we saw two mothers and their children talking to each other near the REDREC building. We walked towards them and I decided to interview the other pair which I learned, later on, was Shiena Mae Modena and her mother, Marcelina Modena.

Shiena is a Grade 12 STEM student from Santa Rosa Science and Technology High School, and just like many others, UP is her dream school. Her friends were also a big influence to push through UP although her parents consider it far from their home. Our ages don’t differ, for we were both 17. As I continued to interview her, I learned that she lives with her father who is a security guard, her mother who was an integrated micro-electronics worker turned housewife, and younger sibling, who was just a year younger than her.

When I asked her mother, Marcelina, what she feels about her daughter taking the UPCAT, she told me that she didn’t really encourage her to take the exam. She doesn’t want her daughter to be far away from them and if she studies in UP, they wouldn’t be able to see her every day. But despite her and her husband’s unwillingness for their daughter to study in UP, they still want to support her because that is what their daughter really wants. That’s why she came to accompany her daughter on the day of the UPCAT.

As someone who has an almost similar situation with Shiena, with my parents not really agreeing to let me study here in UPLB because it’s a 3-hour drive away from Manila, I tried to encourage and gave advice that she would really grow and flourish here as a person, not just as a student. Although it was a hard decision for our family to be far away from each other, Shiena’s description of UP is just like the same thing that went into my mind when I decided to go and study here.

As a hopeful iskolar ng bayan, Shiena believes that being one is to serve your country and giving back to the Filipinos with what you have learned in your education. This girl is just one of the thousands of students that are taking the UPCAT that day, and I know that a lot more people have stories to tell. I am really glad that I was able to meet and talk with Shiena and her mother. I really wish all the best to the future iskolars ng bayan, padayon!

Last October 5 and 6, thousands of young hopefuls flock different testing centers with one goal in mind- take the UPCAT 2020 and be an isko for the next academic year. Student leader and journalist John Russel B. Atienza was no different, braving his assigned testing center with his test permit and pencils in hand. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to converse with him about his story and why he decided to take one of the most competitive college entrance examinations in the country.

Russell is a 17-year-old HUMSS student from Salong, Calaca, Batangas. Coming from a family of 5, he is a loving child and an older brother to two siblings. In his years of being a student, he attained several awards and achievements such as the Gerry Roxas Leadership award in 2018, Eagle Scout award, and champion in online publishing-Filipino in this year’s NSPC. He describes himself as positive, objective, and a reader.

Currently studying at the University of Batangas, Russ took the UPCAT in order to test himself whether he would qualify and hopefully enter his dream university. When asked about his dream degree program, Russ answered BA Journalism and added, “Since the day I won the NSPC, I knew that journalism is close to my heart. It is a career I want to pursue since writing with the words of journalism is like talking to the masses, giving them insights that matter, and most importantly, encouraging them to throw questions that provoke and harness critical thoughts.”

The entrance exam is really a mix of a couple different things. A big amount of confusion at first, deep panic every time there’s only 5 minutes left on the clock, and thoroughly exhausted eyes from reading texts in the reading comprehension subtest. For Russ, UPCAT 2020 was three words: unexpected, depressing, and memorable.  He also shared a bit of his UPCAT experience, a rather funny one. “When the exam ended and after they collected the test materials, the proctor asked, ‘Pakicheck po ng gamit, baka may nawawala.’ I unconsciously but silently uttered: ‘Ako po! Nawawalan ng pag-asa!’ ” The UPCAT may be a real headache but still, Russ yearns to be an isko to serve the country with honor and integrity.

There’s a couple of months before we meet a new set of successful young aspirants that will enter the university of Fighting Maroons. Until then, I hope that each one of the applicants realize the true spirit of being an “iskolar ng bayan”: striving to serve the people and the nation.

Utak at Puso, Padayon future isko and iska! 🌻🌻🌻

Marami sa atin ang nagnanais na makapag-aral, subalit, hindi lahat ay pinapalad na mabigyan ng pagkakataon na makapasok sa paaralan. Marahil ito ay dahil sa kakulangan sa pera o sa kapabayaan ng magulang at katamaran ng mag-aaral. Sa kabila nito, hindi natin maitatanggi na marami pa rin ang sumusubok at hindi nawawalan ng pag-asa na maasam nila ang minimithing pangarap. Ilan lamang sa patunay nito ay ang mga kabataang naglaan ng oras at nagsikap upang makapasok sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) sa Los Banos, Laguna para kumuha ng 2020 University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT).

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Adriel Oliquiano

“Top school ang UP dito sa Pilipinas”

Isa lamang si Adriel sa libo-libong mag-aaral na kumuha ng 2020 UPCAT sa UP Los Banos. Siya ay nakatira sa Sta.Rosa, Laguna at kasalukuyang nag-aaral sa Don Bosco. Ayon sa kanya, pangarap niya ang makapag-aral sa unibersidad kung kaya’t minabuti niya na maglaan ng oras upang mag-aral. Kinuha niya ang kursong Biology bilang kapalit sa gusto niyang kurso, ang Nursing. Matapos ang nasabing pagsusulit, ibinahagi niya na nahirapan siya sa pagsagot nito dahil sa ‘time pressure’. Nabigla man, hindi siya nagpatinag sa takot at ibinigay ang lahat ng kanyang makakakaya, sapagkat ito na ang pagkakataon niya upang makapasok sa pinapangarap niyang kolehiyo.

Ang kanyang ina naman na si Tess Oliquiano, ay buong pusong sinuportahan ang kanyang anak sa mga mithiin nito sa buhay. Para sa kanya, hindi lang ito makatutulong para sa anak kundi pati na rin sa kanilang pamilya. Bukod sa maganda ang kalidad ng edukasyon ng unibersidad, makatutulong ito upang mabawasan ang gastos lalo na’t mag-isa niyang itinataguyod ang kanyang pamilya.

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Audry Magistrado

“Sobrang laki niyang university, so parang maraming opportunities… yung mga facilities parang mas bago pati mas kumpleto”

Si Audry ay kabilang din sa mga kumuha ng 2020 UPCAT sa Los Banos, Laguna. Siya ay mula sa Alaminos, Laguna at kasalukuyang nag-aaral sa Palm Valley Multiple Intelligence School. Civil Engineer ang nais niyang kurso, subalit, pangalawa lamang ang UP Los Banos na kolehiyong nais niyang pasukan. Para sa kanya, naging tuloy-tuloy ang kanyang pagsagot sa pagsusulit, ngunit may mga oras na pinag-iisipan niya muna ito nang mabuti lalo na kapag mahirap ang tanong. Bukod pa rito, iniisip niya rin ang mga maaari niyang matamasa kung papalarin siya na makapasok sa unibersidad kabilang na ang tulong na maibibigay niya sa kanyang pamilya. Kung kaya’t naging sandigan niya ng lakas ang kanyang pamilya upang ipagpatuloy ang kanyang mithiin sapagkat para sa kanya, “Family po kasi in the first place, para sa kanila yung ginagawang hardwork ko sa pag-aaral and nothing is possible without their help”.

Ang kanya namang lola na si Reny Manalo, ay sinamahan ang kanyang apo upang ito’y suportahan dahil para sa kanya, magandang kinabukasan ito para sa apo.

Hindi man nila hawak ang magiging resulta ng pagsubok na ito sa kanilang buhay, sila ay umaasa pa rin na sana ay matamasa ang inaasam nilang pangarap. Hindi man madali, ay ginawa nila ang lahat ng kanilang makakaya upang patunayan na handa nilang tanggapin ang hamon gaano man ito kahirap. Sapagkat kaakibat ng sakripisyong ito ang pagkakataon na magtagumpay.

Heartbeats increasing,

Legs shivering,

Thinking,

How is this going to end?

Hope,

Grace,

Done,

Called for a purpose.

For many, being in the University of the Philippines (UP) has always been a dream, a target or a goal. Knowing that UP is a prestigious university in our country and gives quality education, many students aspire to be in this university thus, the number of takers year by year didn’t decrease. In fact, it increased a lot ever since the current administration implemented the free tuition fee to all State Universities in the Philippines.

In this year’s University of the Philippines College Admission Test, I’ve interviewed a few aspirants and asked them what they feel before, during and after the exam. I also asked them what they can say about it. Aside from that, I was able to interview some parents while they are waiting for their child to finish the exam. I asked them what do they feel while waiting and why do they want their child to be a future Isko/Iska. With this, here are some of the stories of the examiners and their parents during the 1st batch of UPCAT here in UPLB last October 5, 2019.

First is Mary Angel Santonia, a student from Pamantasan ng Cabuyao wherein she is a scholar in the said school. Currently, her dad is working in Japan for them to go to school and her mom is a housewife. Given this, she is eager to pass UPCAT to help her parents in their finances knowing that she is the eldest among seven .

Angel shared to me that she chose UP Diliman and UP Los Banos as her chosen campus. She picked Interior Design in Diliman because she loves to draw and wants to dedicate her life to designing houses. She wanted those houses to manifest a homey feeling so that, it will always drag you to go back home wherever you are.

With regards to her feelings before the exam, Angel said “ Wala ate, I’m not nervous, chillax lang po ako. Umaasa lang po ako sa stock knowledge sa pagtake ng Upcat at walang ka review review”. When she said that, I said to myself that this girl must be so smart kidding aside, I like the spirit that she has and how she calmly approached UPCAT. Furthermore, she said that UPCAT was not that easy nor too hard. Yet, she also faced challenges that became the unforgettable experiences she had on that day.

One of which is the time limit that was given to them, according to her, some questions are too long in order to obtain the answer and because of the shortness of time, it challenged her on how to manage her time wisely. Another, because of the lack of time, she also had challenges of not going to the comfort room. She shared that she should haven’t drunk anything before taking the test so that she will not feel the use of going to the comfort room. Lastly, she said to me that the most memorable part of taking the UPCAT was when her mom accompanied her in taking the exam, which she appreciated it and the bond that they had since they didn’t know where her testing center is.

On the other hand, I was also able to have a conversation with Angel’s mom, Mrs. Tiza Santonia. She shared that she feels excited and a bit nervous about how the exam and its results will run. Aside from that, she also wishes her daughter to pass the test. I will never forget the time when I asked her the next question and she became teary-eyed, I asked her why did she want Angel to be in UP. She answered with a simple phrase “Kasi yun yung gusto niya, para matulungan yung papa niya na nasa Japan” and I felt the sincerity and gratitude in Mrs. Tiza while sharing this statement.

Aside from my interview with the Santonias, I was able to interview Mrs. Merlinda Perez but unfortunately, I was not able to talk to her daughter Jana since she was taking the exam at that time. During my conversation with Mrs. Merlinda, she shared that she’s excited yet a little bit nervous but she doesn’t want to show her daughter since Jana is nervous herself as well and because Jana was so nervous, Mrs. Merlinda shared that she requested the presence of her mom to accompany her during the exam. Thus, Mrs. Merlinda filed her leave and accompany Jana. Furthermore, she shared few stories about her daughter, like the course she wanted to pursue which is accountancy, her Senior High School track which is ABM and many more. Also, she stated that she wanted Jana to be in UP because of the free tuition and its quality of education, like most of the parents do. In totality, I enjoyed my conversation with her, as she also asked questions to me as well, therefore, it helped me to interview her easier.

In conclusion, after all the interviews and stories I heard, I reflected and realized how amazing God has brought me here in UPLB. I remembered the time I took Upcat almost a year ago, wherein the room was so cold and I drank a lot of water before I took the exam then as I took the exam I tried containing my pee for almost the whole time. Also, I brought many snacks with me but in the end, not a piece of it was eaten. Well, those experiences also made my UPCAT experience memorable.

While taking the UPCAT, I was so clueless back then that UP is the place where I am called to be. I remembered  when I was a kid my UP dream was formulated when my cousin told me that in UPLB the stars are real, literally. Now that I am here in UP, I realized that it might be, that those stars are the goals I’m going to achieve as I bloom where God has placed me. Truly, this UP dream is not easy, it took a lot of brokenness, tons of tears and years before I am where I am right now, but at the end of those trials, I realized that this was just the beginning and I’m so excited what God has instore for me and the future Iskos and Iskas.

 

Saturday;
October 21, 2017;
CAS A2 MPH1;
First batch;
6:30 AM.

Although it has been almost 2 years since I took the UPCAT, such is a memory that remains very vivid up until now. I will always remember how I struggled a lot both in the Science and Mathematics portion of the exam. In fact, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to make it because of that; nevertheless, here I am! Time flies really fast and the feeling of seeing myself in this year’s UPCAT takers who are full of confidence and perseverance to enter UP makes me feel nostalgic. I was once like them, an aspirant who also had her own fair share of UPCAT realness.

Let’s get to know some of them!

Christelline said that she was pressured knowing that her two sisters are already studying in UP and for the fact that she wanted to really be one of those who will pass. At the same time, she also said that it is a privilege to be able to take UPCAT, since not all are able to do so. “It’s an honor, tapos humbling experience na makapag-exam po dito. Hindi lang po dahil para sa sariliing kapakanan kundi sa kapakanan ng mga kapwa Pilipino,” she added.

Meanwhile, this group of friends from Pamantasan ng Cabuyao said that the cold temperature in the room was very distracting. They found the exam relatively easy and what challenged them was time pressure. “Hindi naman po siya yung sobrang hirap, kalaban mo lang talaga yung oras.“

Mrs. Erin Jacob from Sta. Rosa, a parent of an UPCAT taker said that “It’s a great opportunity and privilege na mag-try siya (her daughter). If ever kung will ni God na makapasa siya, it’s a blessing kasi syempre, bilang mahirap na nanay since balo ako, talagang malaki ang maitutulong. Lalo pa sa kalagayan ko, wala akong trabaho.”

Among the thousands of UP aspirants alongside their parents, these are just a few stories that I was able to hear. Whatever the result may be, know that you can always empower and be empowered even outside UP. Padayon!