I wrote a blog a while back on a university being a ‘home for the soul ( http://www.bimbiariasjose.com/2013/06/18/alma-mater-a-home-for-the-soul/’.

I also wrote a blog a few weeks ago on how a fourth year student should take seriously the opportunity to review for upcoming college entrance exams.  http://www.bimbiariasjose.com/2014/04/03/practical-advise-for-incoming-third-year-students/

Right now, I’d like to write about the attitudes that shape the average student’s choice of college or university. It is my hope that you can reflect on the reasons or motives that may be propelling you to want to attend a certain school. If you have sound, logical and well-reasoned purposes for desiring to enter a particular college or university, these purposes will provide you with a powerful motivation to review. They will also equip you with a powerful tool for surviving university life.

1. Family traditions. Some students apply to the same college or university their parent or parents and even grandparents graduated from. In some families merely entering college and graduating from a four-year college course are not enough — graduating from one particular college is part of their family identity. In England, from one generation to the next,  the scions of noble families all go to Eton. In the Philippines, the scions of the old rich illustrado families go to the Ateneo. As far back as the times of the colonization of the Spaniards, the rich have always sent their sons to the Ateneo.  Thus, sending their children to the Ateneo now is simply upholding and continuing family or clan tradition.

The problem with this is that it doubles the pressure on the student not only to maintain high academic standards by qualifying to go on to university, he must also enter a particular university to conform to their family’s academic identity. Securing admission into the family’s university of choice is part of his rite of passage as a member of his family. If the student does not get into the family’s choice of university, the student will not only suffer personal disappointment, he will forever be considered an ‘outsider’ because he will not graduate from the same university that all his forebears have graduated from.

2. . Some students apply to a particular college or university because that was where his parent or parents wanted to attend but were unable to. The parents spend every waking hour of their child’s formative years,  motivating and influencing him to do well enough in school to apply to their ‘dream’ university. The child becomes a proxy of the parents– his admission in the his parents’ college or university of choice is not really his choice but his parents’. If the child manages to get himself admitted into his parents’ university of choice, his success will also be his parents’ success. The problem is that if the child fails to qualify, then his lack of personal success also implies his parents’ lack of success. Here, the child’s own dreams are subsumed under his parents’ dreams and ambitions. The child might not have the time or the opportunity to choose for himself where he should go or why he should go to the college where he wants to go — this is not an important issue at all.  What is important is to please his parents.  Thus, the issue of choosing a ‘right’ college or university is also wrapped up in the issue of parental approval, pleasure and validation.

3.Status symbol and bragging rights. There are students who choose to go to a university or college because of the status symbol it affords.  To these students, their choice of university is colored by the prestige of the university (however they may define ‘prestige’). These students subscribe to the mentality exemplified by the character of Rachel Berry in the TV show Glee: when you’re part of something special, that makes you special. Prestige can be defined by how old the university or college has been in existence; or how many times the college or university has won in the UAAP games. It might be defined by the fact that all the students at that college or university speak with an American twang, or that the students there don’t wear uniforms and drive their own SUVs. To some, the college or university they want to go to is where celebrities go.  Thus, gaining admission into that university will enhance their personal prestige.  They can always brag to anyone who would care to listen that they were in the same class/section/batch as someone famous.  Still, others want to go to a school where the tuition and matriculation fees are exorbitant that only the very rich and the very influential can afford to go there — this makes the school not only an institution of higher learning, it also doubles as an exclusive club.

One foreseeable problem here is that getting into that exclusive college or university is one thing — staying in there and having a sense of belonging and camaraderie with people there is another thing.  You may be ostracized because you don’t have the right ‘accent’ or because your clothes are not designer brands.  You may have to go there on scholarship and so you will have to spend most of your time in the library trying to catch up and soak up all the learning and culture that you’ve never had.  Your classmates may have read novels in high school that you probably have never even heard of — then, in literature class, your professor will make references to that novel and everyone is nodding their heads, laughing even.  All the while, you are smiling, too, but inside, you are so panicked because you don’t know what these people are talking about! I overheard someone say, that over spring break, his classmates were discussing a trip they were all going on — to Bali, Indonesia.  He, on the other hand, will go home to the small village in the province to see his parents whom he had not seen for a year because he had not enough money for plane or boat fare. You will end up feeling like you are always on the outside looking in.

4. Convenience and ease of access. There are students who choose a university or college based on how convenient it is to go there.  They choose one that is not too far away that it takes too much travel time.  They choose one where most of their friends from high school will go to.  They choose one that is nearest their homes.  Or one where there is a safe dormitory on-campus where their parents can drop them off on Monday and pick them up from on Friday.  Where mommy and daddy is just a phone call away.

They think then, that college life will not present too much inconvenience, danger or adjustment.  The need for adjusting to college or university life will not be as disruptive on their emotions or sense of security.  They don’t have to make new friends because their old friends from high school will be there anyway.  They won’t have to learn how to commute and ride a jeep or a bus or the MRT or the LRT.  They won’t have to learn new ways of doing things. The problem here is that college life is the transition from the sheltered life of high school to the total independence of moving out of your parents’ home and finding your own place.  In college, you will have to budget your time, your strength and your money.  If you got by in high school because you had friends, in college, you will have to meet new people and most of them won’t be friendly.  You will mostly be all by yourself and you will have to direct yourself and apply yourself.  You will have to think up ideas all by yourself and follow-through with work that you yourself have done. College is not the time for convenience, it is the time you go out of your comfort zone and away from the constant hovering presence of your parents.  College is freedom to find yourself and see whether the ‘self’ you find is one you like or not.  In college, you will have to define yourself — are you the kind who joins the herd or one who stands out and stands alone?

5. Fun. I have heard high school kids say that they are choosing this particular college or university because of the fun extra-curricular activities that the university affords. Some think of all the girls or the boys they can meet.  Some actually go and visit the campus and check out if there are cute boys or girls there.  They choose one which has a lot of ‘cool’ places to hang out in.  Is there a Starbucks right inside the university?  Well, then, that’s the one they want to go to. Is the college or university near a lot of cinemas or malls?  Oh, good, they can drop by the mall before going home from class.  They can be mall rats during break times. I know of a few who want to get into UP just so they can watch the Oblation Run — you can watch the Oblation Run without enrolling in UP.  You just have to be at the AS at the time that it is scheduled. These students have misguided priorities. You go to a university to train your mind for a career.  You acquire skills so that you can prepare for a profession — the fun is peripheral and incidental.  Fun is not the main thing. 

 

My advice?  Think long and hard which universities you want to go to.  Evaluate honestly for yourself why you want to go there.  The reasons you have for wanting to go to a university must be your own, not somebody else’s.  Here are things you should look at and consider:

1. Look at the course offerings and see for yourself which university offers you the course you want to take.  What course is interesting to you?  Which course are you really curious about? Some students choose courses that they think have very few enrollees (Forestry or Geography) to ensure that they will be accepted to the university they want to go to.  And then, for the better part of the four years of their study, they keep thinking of ways to get out of the program they are in — they end up shifting from one course to another and so they reach the maximum residency limit of seven years without having finished anything.

2. Look at the cost.  You must choose a university that your parents can afford and one which can offer you a scholarship just in case you can’t afford to pay the tuition. You must also think about the transportation cost, the living cost and the cost of uniforms, books and other incidental expenses..  How much would it cost your parents to send you daily to that school?  Would it cost less to stay in a dorm, in a boarding house or to go home everyday?  These are things you have to consider.

3. Consider the way the university is run. Some are run by Catholic priests or Catholic nuns — they have strict codes of behavior.  These strict codes of behavior might be too confining for you.  Look at the schedule of courses — some divide the academic year into semesters, others into  trimesters.  There are schools that offer four year courses that can be topped off with another year of schooling so that when you graduate, you have two degrees: a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree.  There are schools that offer double major programs.  There are schools where the minimum number of units per semester is only 15 units, others have 21 units.

4. Consider the curriculum.  All Catholic universities require religious instruction and philosophy on top of the usual general education classes.  This means that if you are not Catholic, you may not be comfortable studying the Catholic faith or philosophy.  Some Catholic universities require an extra 12 units of philosophy.  You might not really feel the necessity of studying religion or philosophy this much. Is attendance at mass required?

5. If you have the time and the opportunity, go to the university or college and stroll around.  I am sure that if you ask the school authorities, you can actually sit in and observe actual classes. You have to see if you like the overall character of the place — are the kids all serious with their studies? Are they friendly, easy going?  Is the atmosphere relaxed? There are universities that have violent riots — are you sure you can handle a riot or a fraternity rumble when one occurs in front of you? Are there so many feast days observed at the college or university so that classes are suspended?

6. When you do visit the campus, look around — is there a lot of greenery? Is there room to sit quietly and think?  Or is it everywhere packed with people? When it rains, does it flood in the campus? Check out the library.  Is it well-lit? Is it comfortable?  Is it well-ventilated? You will spend most of your time in the library in college — believe me, whether you like it or not, the readings for your classes are probably not available in the local bookstores so you will have to go to the library and stay there for hours on end just to read all that is necessary for you to prepare to go to class.

7. Is the university a seriously no-smoking zone?  If you have asthma, you will want to consider these things.  Are the classrooms air conditioned?  Is the library air conditioned? If the classrooms are not air conditioned, are they well-ventilated?  Is there fresh air in the campus? How about the physical lay out of the buildings– if you have a disability that limits your mobility, you must consider if the university conforms to the building standards for handicapped persons — are there ramps?  Are there elevators?  Are there designated parking spaces for persons with disability?

I suppose, in the end, you have to consider that where you want to go in life, what you want to be will be more or less influenced by where you study.  There are universities that have university-exchange programs with sister universities in other countries.  They may have placement offices that can help you go abroad for further study if that is what you want. Do they have organizations such as singing groups or debate clubs that are well-funded so that if you join them, you can compete abroad?  These are other considerations. Consider people you admire, respect and those who are your role models — where did they study? Consider older siblings or relatives — their experiences with university life may be enlightening for you.

In the end, you have to find a ‘good fit’ — you have to find a university or college that will not only give you an education, but it will also mold you and shape your mind and person.  You want to be a critical thinker — one who can ask the right questions.  You want to imbibe values that encourage personal individual growth and yet encourage cooperation and interdependence with others. You will want to go to a school that will equip you for the life you want to have in the future. You will have to choose a place you love, a place you can love and a place that can love you back.

Personally, I never would have chosen to go to UP — I had not thought (ever) that I would be smart enough to go there.  None of my parents or relatives have ever gone there.  It was only for smart people and I didn’t think I was the right kind of smart to get there as I never was in the honor roll. I had left and gone to the US on my last year of high school.  I missed the NCEE and I missed the UPCAT.  I didn’t know what I was going to do after my one year student exchange program or where I was going after high school.  Just before I went home, I wrote my parents about that.  Apparently, my parents talked to the head of the  student exchange program.  She said that if I succeeded in getting a US high school diploma, I can be admitted by UP on probation.

When I got home, I asked my high school principal for help in getting my documents and she said that I can only take the NCEE belatedly if I put my status as an ‘out of school youth’. I thought it was insulting.  So, I disregarded what she said and we went to UP instead. The University Registrar told me that if I can find at least 3 teachers who are willing to accept me into their class (I came home three weeks after the school year had already started), and if I pass all my subjects in my first year, I will be taken off the probationary list and I can become a regular student.  Five years later — I graduated cum laude. I went on to law school and I managed to survive.  I took the Bar and today, I am a lawyer.

In UP, I learned that there are all different kinds of ‘smart’.  I realized that I have been erroneously told by all my grade school and high school teachers that I was not the right kind of smart — it turns out — there are all kinds of smart out there and UP was where my kind of smart was acceptable, recognized and even encouraged.  I found a place where I can be myself and actually make headway into this world. I found a good fit in UP.  I liked the place — I liked being with people who are just as smart but differently smart — I like talking to them — it felt like steel sharpening steel. I liked being with people who were like me but also finding people who were so different from me.  I liked the independence afforded to  me by UP.  No one ever told me what I could  or could not do. UP is not perfect.  UP is not for everybody.  To those who have found their niche there, UP is home. UP gave me breathing space and a room to grow. Our school song says it all. If you find a home for your soul in UP, you grow to love it there.  UP naming mahal, pamantasang hirang ….. Malayong lupain, amin mang marating, di rin magbabago ang damdamin, di rin magbabago ang damdamin.