[[++ what does it take to be UP student++]]

well this is actually my paper for comm1 i just want to post it since i made it for 4 hours hehe

Joanna Elaine E. Montejar Mr. Mercurio
BS- Pharmacy
2005- 00206


What does it take to be a UP student?
Three hours of sleep, thirty minutes of preparation before going to school, an hour of travel, eight hours in school, go home to study for six hours… a typical routine for me, whew! Is it crazy? Well, welcome to the world of being a UP student! What happened to my life anyway?
Looking back when I was in high school, I remembered the times when my friends and I were just trying to get the application to get a test for the UPCAT. Actually from the very start it was never easy. It took us a week to get the documents in our school for the requirements for the UPCAT. And we also enrolled in a review class to be able to make ourselves ready for the test. What a preparation! Well it actually helped because out of eight of us who enrolled, five were able to enter. The truth is I was not really expecting to pass the exam because I really don’t feel that I’m good on exams and I really do not have confidence since I’m from a private school, not a science high school. And we were encouraged to enter a Catholic school too like UST. I took only three tests from UP, UST and UAP. What happened? I flanked the USTET! During that time expectations were high for me because I belong to the cream section and my family and relatives were surprised when they heard that I was not able to pass. They even compared me to my brother who passed and was not even a student from the cream section. It was May already and I still don’t have any school to enrol in for college. I took the exam for UAP, fortunately I passed but it seemed that that school is for the rich and I felt I am not suitable to be there. One day, while I am inside the church, I prayed “Lord, what school will I enter? Please help me… will I continue to UAP?” then suddenly I received a text message from my classmate and she told me that I passed! Whoa! I was really surprised and happy that during our praise and worship I really cried and thanked God. I was not really expecting this. Well I entered UPLB as a biology student signalling that it would be my pre- medical course. I really would like to be a doctor rather than being a business woman.
A UP student? I was never expecting this ever in my life! So what happened afterwards? Because UPLB is far from home, I entered a dormitory together with my friends. The truth is I felt a series of home- sickness that I would be awake all night while all are sleeping and I would just sleep when it is six o’clock. Even though, I encouraged my self not to be lonely.
Days have gone by and slowly, I started to adapt in my new life in UPLB. I noticed that people there were simple, humble and very kind as compared to people in Manila. I also learned how to be independent and managed my own food, clothes and a lot of stuffs that I did not bothered on before. I still felt home sickness from time to time that is why I go back to our house every week. Here, I also experienced how to live in a single room with five people in it. It was really new to me but since they were my high school classmates, it was easy to get along with them. They became my family when I am far from home.
So how is UP life? Culture shocked? Well some kind of. Of course, I came from a Catholic school. I noticed that students there were wearing different kinds of outfit, from ragged jeans, to mini skirts, to flip flops, summer shorts and so on! Actually they wear what is just comfortable to them. Whatever suits their taste will be their outfit. I also noticed that a lot of people bring large umbrellas especially the guys. If ever you bring that to a school in Manila, well that is some kind of different. People might laugh at you. When I was in high school our teachers were very strict when it comes to our uniform. White socks, low heeled black leather shoes, black skirt, black and white tube and white blazers that should be buttoned properly. But now I sit beside a student wearing only shorts and rubber slippers. Some even looked like they have not even bathed before going to class. But still you cannot judge people from their looks. Though they smoke, and do some weird stuff, they were simple and kind for me. I even remembered one time; I accidentally left my cell phone in the library. When I noticed that it was not in my things, my heart beat so fast. I was really scared because that was a gift for me when I graduated from high school. But guess what? I still found my phone on the table as if no one noticed.
So how about the academic life? When I was in high school, I was the second honourable mention. I am not really intelligent but I believe that I am really studious that is why I got honours. It is true because when I took an IQ test in elementary, I got a low IQ. So I have nothing to brag about but my studying habits. I was really studious and hardworking. I aimed to get honours. So I got good grades. I am not used to grades like 85 or even 90. I want higher. 92 is the minimum grade. Well that was my aim before. But since I entered UP, everything went up side down. I remembered my first quiz in chemistry and I got 3 out of 10. I was surprised. But then I told myself that it was just a quiz. And during our lecture, I was not really paying attention with my professor because he was really fast. I am just rushing to copy notes. Then suddenly he said we will have a quiz! I was shocked because when I was in high school I made sure that I would study before hand. Well I got zero. And it was not the first time. I even got thirty five out of one hundred in our exam. And I always got low in my chemistry subjects. So I doubled my studying time. Sleeping time is just around four to five hours. But I still got low grades. “What am I suppose to do?” I am satisfied with a minimum grade of 92 before, now I am satisfied with a passing grade. I even remembered one time we had a drill in the laboratory and most of my classmates were from chemical engineering courses. So as expected they were really good. And me? I remembered my teacher even announcing that she cannot comprehend that even one got a score of four. When she announced that, my heart stopped. I think it was me. Well it really was me. As I received my paper I heard my classmates talking that they were not satisfied with their scores. Well actually they only got one or two mistakes. Those times were really emotionally wrecking for me. I felt I was not really qualified to be a UP student. I even thought that I was the dumbest student there. So I just poured my feelings with my friend and we ate a lot. That was my therapy. I told myself that if I can turn back time, I wish that my mom would enrol me to a science high school. I really want to give up. I told myself that there is no point in studying if I just receive low grades. Well what’s the point? Then I prayed and read the Bible. I read a verse telling me not to give up. And also my friend encouraged me that if I am not going to study, what more will my grades be? Well she was right. Studies… study... study…
All of these had consequences. My friends were even mad at me because I am not joining them when they are going out. I cannot explain to them that I really have a busy schedule. Almost every week, I have to study for exams. My family even told me that I should just not went home if I am not going to spend time with them and lock myself up in the room. But as time passed by, I also became adapted to these things. It does not matter what the result is. I would just continue studying. But because of sleepless nights for studying, I became ill. My heart always palpitates with no reason. Am I in love? Actually I am not. I think it is the consequence of lack of sleep and bulks of coffee in my system. So they were really worried and encouraged me to transfer in another UP campus near to us so they can look after me. But my friends in high school discouraged me because they said that I cannot do it because it is difficult. They were even making fun of us and calling as ‘Tarzans’ in the forest. I really got mad with them but I just remained silent. I just thought that they are still from “other schools” and I am from UP… what are they bragging about any way? So I filed an application for other campus and I am not really serious about it because I am satisfied with my life in UPLB. Then one day I went out with my friends in Manila, so I passed by UP Manila campus as well for the results. That time it was my time to have a break because I enrolled for summer class so I just have few weeks to have my vacation. Then I saw my name… what? I passed? I was partly happy and sad. Happy because it is my chance not to be away from my family and this is an opportunity to show other people that they were wrong in telling me that I can not do it. Sad because I have to leave my friends and shift to another course that I just took because it is a pre- medical course but I really want biology. Then after that I found myself back in Los Baňos to clear out my papers and things. It was really so fast. But again, it was never easy. I found myself spending a lot of time and money just to have clearance because some of the teachers are already having their vacation so I have to come back almost every day from Quezon City to Los Baňos then to Manila. My family and friends even told me that I am loosing weight already. Oh… it was really difficult. But the late registration was another thing. After handling my records to Manila, I thought I can enrol right away. But I found myself queuing every day for almost two weeks. It just won’t stop! Every thing has a price. I am just suffering the consequences of transferring. In fact I even found out that our course is revised and I have to stay for five years… well actually six because the subjects are seasonal so I have to wait for the freshmen. And after that I still have to get board exam and study again for medicine. What would be my age by then?
Suddenly I want to go back. Why do I have to transfer? Now my life is more complicated. And I was really tormented when I found out that I can apply for Biology in UP Manila and I just did not know so I entered Pharmacy. And I even got discouraged when I saw a lot of Chemistry subjects in the curriculum. Well Chemistry is just the subject that I really hate. So welcome to my new life! I have to face and love my hatest subject for a couple of years. Though I was praised by my family and friends for being accepted, my life actually became more problematical. I got a full load that made my body loose a lot of weight because of the stress and as well as the long way to our home every day. Goodbye to fresh air and to our dormitory wherein I reach our school just a couple of minutes. Hello to pollution and traffic jams. My schedule was also not good because I have to wake up so early and return late at night. I also experienced floods in Manila that the water was up in my knees. I do not know if I am supposed to laugh that time but I did. It was around seven thirty in the evening and I cannot still go home and I have an exam the next day at seven in the morning. I want to cry but I just laughed. Because of a lot of subjects, I was not able to manage all of them as well as my health. I do not know which to prioritize. Before, I cannot stand a day without watching a single show. But now I was not even aware of the current events that my friends laugh at me when they noticed that I was so ignorant of the new trends and stuffs. My health also deteriorated that I had several occasions of having high fever and allergy and this resulted in flanking some of my tests because I was not able to study well.
One day when I am with my friend who is also a transferee but from other school, she told me how depressed she was because of her grade. She was complaining of the results in the exams and the low quizzes. Well I saw her grades from her school before. Well it was really high, but now she was shocked of the results in her exams. As I was looking at her, I saw myself before and patted her shoulder and told her that I experienced the same thing before. And now I am just used to it. Now I am telling her things that I was suppose to tell myself before. I even thought that because of the things that happened to me, I would just like to transfer again but in another school such as UST. Well I am really tired. But then again I realized that not all students are privileged to enter UP.
Being a UP student is not really easy. I can say that my life became more complicated. A lot of people have a lot of expectations. They also thought that we are different from them. Well indeed we are because we get a lot of training. We don not simply get the grades we want with just a snap of hand. My brother told me that in their school while their teacher is out and they are taking the exams, his classmates would copy from each other and that was just a normal thing for them. But we do not do it here. You have to make a full effort to get a satisfying grade. Everything is difficult. No spoon feeding compared to other schools. Social life would also be somehow not as same as before. My other friends cannot understand why I have exams almost every week. I do not like phone calls and sending of text messages that just contains quotes. I just send text messages to people of important matters. It was really different looking back. I am actually envious of my friends when they are bragging about being in the Dean’s list. But I realized that I am sill from UP so it does not matter. It is true that when it also comes to facilities, we are left behind by other schools. Books are already so old and dusty. Also compared to other schools, we do not have elevators to reach our rooms so we always take the stairs. Everything is difficult. But is it not that these difficulties are actually roads to success? For me what makes us stand out from the rest is the honing of our skills. To be able to survive here, one must have a lot of courage and perseverance. You have to survive and make a full effort. It is not just the brain that gets to be sharpened but also our character. If things were just easy for us, what is the excitement with that? After all life is not a bed of roses. We are just being taught here of that. If things were just so easy, I would be like some of my friends who lack learning that goes beyond the things learned from school. It made my feel more confident when I am able to get through a difficult situation which I always face everyday. I also noticed how my conversations changed. It was not a trash talk already but a more intellectual one. So when I meet some of my friends who are not studying seriously and just focus on their love life and some shallow things, I feel sorry for them because life is not just about that. It is living out one’s life to the fullest. So if you weren’t able to make your life meaningful, well I think that is one of the sad things that will happen. So even I am having difficulties, I would still choose to study in UP because this institution makes one be someone else that he or she can be. By not actually giving as all we need but making us find out for ourselves the lessons that we have to learn. So being a UP student needs a lot of courage, strength and perseverance. Above all, I cannot always rely in my own strength but with what God can do for me that makes me continue on the challenge. Now I don’t see problems and difficulties as simple as making my life complicated and sad but in a way improves my character and makes me more confident with myself. With that, I am proud to be a UP student!