Before college

I studied in the largest public school in my province, Pampanga High School, and spent six years of my life learning almost everything there. The curriculum I was in (being in a science section) is if not the same, similar to the typical science high school’s curriculum, as we were given extra subjects dedicated to mathematics and the sciences. In addition, we were the high school’s de facto top section, we were the ones usually selected to compete outside of the school, and the intra-classroom competition was fierce.

For a number of years, I also served at the helm of my school’s election committee, for the student council. To be frank, the shoes of this position were tough to fill. To figure out the logistics, the scheduling, and the security of the votes of twelve thousand students was difficult. I also developed a computerized system for easier voting, hence making me lean towards a computer science degree.

With this, and with the help of excellent educators teaching in our section, my chances of getting into the University of the Philippines (UP) were considerably high. My first choice of degree program was BS Computer Science, in the flagship campus in Diliman. The entrance exam was in October, and the results came out May of the following year. I got in.

The “Pending Case”

The story of me getting in UP doesn’t end there, however. I was in a coffee shop with a couple of friends when I heard the news that I got in. My mother called me and exclaimed “Mipasar ka, pero bakit ‘Pending Case’ ka? (You passed, but why are you marked as a ‘Pending Case’?)” I got chills down my spine! However, I calmed down soon enough upon learning that all applicants from my school had been marked as “Pending Case” too.

For those who may not know, when the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) results come out, it’s either one of three things: you don’t pass and you don’t see your name on the list; you pass and you see your name on the list along with the program granted to you; or you pass, but for a reason, you still aren’t processed by the system, and instead of showing the granted program, it shows the words Pending Case along with your name.

What a Pending Case looks like in the results.

After a quick trip to the University’s Registrar and a week’s worth of waiting, we got resolved and got our actual results. I got in with my first choice degree program at the first choice campus. It was a dream come true!

The reason for the Pending Case? Our school principal’s signature had two different versions: a long version and a short version. That day, we all realized that the university registrar was as strict as a bank when it comes to these documents.

Before the first semester

The first semester was scheduled to start in August, and preparations were made as soon as I heard that I got in. We started looking for student lodging, as I had no plans to stay in the University’s dormitories. Pampanga, my home province, was just an hour away, and a slot I would have taken for the dormitories may be better suited for those coming from the far North, or from the far South. My parents and I scouted for boarding houses instead, which are a bit more pricey than the dorms, since they’re privately-owned houses with rooms that were rented out to students.

Student accommodation

Quickly, we scored a decent boarding house in Area 2, a residential area inside UP Diliman. Conveniently, the house was on JP Laurel Street, the famed “food street” within the university. The street was filled with food stalls, canteens, lemonade stands and mini-restaurants.

Area 2 is also featured in a music video of a song, Kalachuchi by Munimuni:

Back to the boarding house. I was to be with five other people in a room (it’s roomy, don’t worry), with air conditioning during the night, distilled water, electricity, and most importantly, 300Mbps wifi for the price of 3500 Php a month! All things considered, we bagged the boarding house mid-May.

UP: University of Pila (queues)

Enrollment and registration started in June, and the registration process was hell. It was a week of five-hour-long queues, half of the time spent standing, but all of the time spent in the searing summer heat.

The queues were so annoying I didn’t even bother getting a PE course of the semester, despite my priority status as a freshman. There was once a whole-day queue and the day ended without granting anyone PE courses. It happens.

There was also one time that I wasted two hours because I was in the wrong queue — someone thought I was a Ph.D. applicant and directed me to the queue for doctorate studies applicants. Certainly a story to tell!

With the seemingly unending queues, I made friends along the way. Coursemates who I’m still with right now, as the year ends. This wasn’t the province anymore. The friends I met were completely different from the friends I had from high school. Everyone had their own interesting story. There were people who barely knew Tagalog; thirty-year-olds taking up a second degree; children of business titans and magnates; and applicants who were sent on a one-way trip to Diliman because they couldn’t afford to travel back home. The University, especially Diliman, was a microcosm of the Philippines that I was unaware of in my 19-year-old life.

UP Diliman is BIG

Compared to my high school, and compared to any other school I have been, nothing compares to the size of UP Diliman’s campus. Sure, some people may point out that other campuses encompass a larger land area, but for something in the middle of bustling Quezon City, our campus sure is big. To get from class to class, most people take the campus jeepneys, called the ikot jeeps. These jeeps are iconic to Diliman, along with their backward-route counterpart jeepneys which are the toki jeeps. When people go to UP, usually you’d hear “sa laki ng UP, may jeep pa sa loob! (UP is so big, you have to take a jeep to go around!)”

Photo by Quin Astilla, taken from Tinig ng Plaridel

If you didn’t take the jeep, it means that you’d rather walk, to save time, money, or to enjoy your time with friends. My classes in my first semester were from 9 A.M. — 3 P.M. and I usually hit ten thousand steps at lunchtime!

A composite I made to what I walked to on regular class days

Sometimes, it’s great to walk. You could enjoy the trees and the breeze, enjoy talking with your friends for a good 10–15 minutes. It really feels like a walk in the park, because UP does look like a park. Most times, however, it isn’t. What I usually say is that walking every day in the searing 12 P.M. heat is like reliving the trek of the Fellowship in the Lord of the Rings, especially when you walk in a path without any kind of shade.

If it wasn’t searing heat, it’ll probably be an annoying downpour. Everyone goes for the jeeps, which means there’ll be no seats (in the jeep) left. Sure enough, you’ll come late and soaking wet to your next class.