Things you need to know:

1. You need to review on your own or take review classes if you want to take (and pass, hopefully) the UPCAT, ACET, DCAT and USTET. Why?  You will want to familiarize yourself with the examination format, the rules (right-minus-wrong), and so that you will no longer delay the need to choose a college course.

2. Browse around for a good college course you like. UP has more or less traditional courses. It is still the country’s premier university. Ateneo and La Salle, however, offer double majors and five-year courses that will allow you to finish with a bachelor’s degree as well as a master’s degree. At the Ateneo, the double major program is only for those who land in the upper 15% of the entrance test. It’s the honors section. Choose well.

3. Download application forms for the UPCAT from the UP website. They are available beginning in May. Don’t delay.

4. Ateneo requires you to come and get an application packet from the Loyola Heights campus itself (you can tour  campus–I guarantee you will love the greenery and you will either be impressed or intimidated by the American twang the students all seem to have). Or you can apply at any of their regional testing centers.

5. Ateneo, DLSU and UST all have regional application and testing centers. In Bulacan, the nearest one is in St. Paul’s College, Ilgulot, Bocaue. You can apply there, pay the application fee there and take the exam there.

6. For UP, you will have to submit your application form at the UP Office of the University Registrar (Diliman). When you get to the Oblation (Quezon Hall), turn right. It’s on the second corner. If you delay submission, you won’t miss the UP OUR–there will be a two kilometer line of applicants waiting in line. Don’t delay.

For Bulacan residents and other provincial residents, the deadline is one week after the deadline for Metro Manila residents. Don’t delay.

Trivia: did you know that your UP student number is the same as your applicant number? Others say, it’s your ranking in the UPCAT.

7. Prepare at least P450 for the application fee. Pay this at PNB or Landbank. You need the deposit slip duplicate for when you submit your application form.

At the Ateneo, DLSU and UST, it was P500 each (it may increase). At the Ateneo, you will be given an application packet that has a brochure and scholarship application form. At the DLSU, you will be given the same packet plus a USB and a small bag. At UST, they give you nothing.

8.At the UP, tuition fees are ‘socialized’. This means that the lower your income is, the bigger the discount. There are five income brackets. The lowest brackets even give the student a monthly stipend.

You will apply for STFAP (Socialized Tuition Fee Program) once you have qualified and you have been admitted. Little do people realize that even when you pay full tuition at the UP you are still an Iskolar ng Bayan because the Philippine National Government subsidizes your tuition fees with the taxes we all pay (that Janet Lim Napoles and company have not yet stolen). You want evidence? Full tuition fees for a 15 unit load (without laboratory) costs P26,000+ for those with incomes higher than P1.3M. For those with incomes between P650k-P1.3M, the tuition fees are around P18,000.

Compare this with the Ateneo. Last year, the Ateneo estimated at a student would spend at least P159,000+ in school fees for one year. Can you now appreciate why UP is so selective? Only the best and the brightest are given the opportunity to study at such a low cost. The entire Philippine nation is investing in you.

At the Ateneo, you have to apply for a scholarship at the same time you apply to take the ACET. There are so many documents required: ITR, Certificate of Employment, Meralco bill for three months, credit card statements for three months, a picture of your kitchen, your house and your refrigerator!

At the Ateneo, they offer full scholarships which include tuition fees, miscellaneous fees, dorm fees and book fees. The bad news is, there are only 200 slots available each year. There are about 900 applicants for full scholarships.

9. You will have to get different sized photographs. For UP, it’s 1×1. For Ateneo, it’s 2×2. For La Salle, it’s passport size, 1.5×2 (also known as Civil Service size). You will need at least two. One for the test permit and one for the application form.

10. The UPCAT is always given in August. Ateneo gives the ACET in September. DLSU gives it in November. UST has several exam dates to choose from.

 

When you’ve processed your application to all these prestigious universities, and, by some miracle you managed to pass all these entrance tests (maybe you even passed with high ranking), the next and perhaps, the more difficult step is in choosing which university to enroll in. May you all have this dilemma! (In other words, may you pass all these entrance tests!)

My advice: take as many entrance exams as you can.  This way you will increase your chances of passing at least one. Besides, taking entrance tests hones your test-taking skills.  It will be one of the most memorable things about your last year in high school. More importantly, it will be a test of your emotional maturity, discipline and resilience.  If you overestimate your intellectual strengths, these entrance tests will give you a big dose of reality. It will be painful at first, but you will adjust to reality, I guarantee that. If you underestimate your intellectual capabilities, well, you just may surprise yourself — you just might pass all of them and have the prestige of choosing which university to go to.

At any rate, look at the review and test-taking as opportunities for you to know and challenge yourself. That way, pass or fail, you will still get something valuable out of the entire experience — you will have known yourself at your worst and at your best. You will also have the chance to examine and re-examine yourself, your life, your goals and your priorities.

If you don’t pass, it’s not the end of the world–it’s not time to despair. It is time to re-think your options. Some people seek reconsideration (and manage to get into UP even when they didn’t pass the UPCAT)–the only problem is, you may not be admitted into a course program you like or in the campus you want. You may also have to look for a college that will take you and a campus that will accommodate you.

Good luck to you!