Iskolar ng Bayan

Hey there! I'm Arlyn Eunice Rivera, 17 years old. I know I'm not supposed to say private things on a public blog, but what the hell, it's summer. I'm bored to death and I seriously have nothing else to do but to download movies, so I might as well make good use of the internet and impart my silly thoughts to the whole world (even though I am pretty certain no one actually cares).

Anyway, I am an incoming junior at the University of the Philippines Diliman. I know you're asking, "What's your course?" That would have to be the most irritating question I have heard for two years; I was truly desperate to shift out of my college. Why, you may ask? I must warn you, the story you might read is all about me. If you do not like my conceitedness, leave. :)

Everyone excels in something--Math, Science, English, Arts, etc. I am best in English. I love public speaking. I am a grammar freak (For those who are freakier than I am, please don't hesitate to correct my grammar. No, wait, this is my blog. Mind your own business.). Being a freak nevertheless, I had (oops, I still have) no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Evidently, I did not know what course to pursue when the UPCAT application was presented to me. I did not even want to go to UP; I was tired of being the "smart one" in the family. I just wanted to be a normal college student, and my first impression of UP was that it was all about academics. I have had enough of that in elementary and high school. I only wanted to see if I was smart enough to pass the UPCAT. Anyway, I applied for BS Business Administration as my first choice and my second choice was the course my uncle's ex-girlfriend graduated from--BS Geodetic Engineering. She was the only person I knew from UP so it is very clear how unserious I was about entering UP. I even wrote down Nursing and Pharmacy as my other courses even though I never dreamt of being a doctor my whole life (although I wanted to be a crime scene investigator, until I realized how incompetent this job is in the Philippines. No offense).

Months later, I was told that I passed the UPCAT. My course? BS Geodetic Engineering. No shock there, since almost everyone applies for BS BAA. This made me not want to go to UP even more, but alas, family and financial problems gave me no other choice.

For two years, I was an Engineering student, but I did not take any Engineering subjects. I wanted to shift. That was my only goal. I applied for BA Broadcast Communication after my freshman year but I did not know that I was to compete with more than one hundred people for a slot out of 20-25. It was very crucial. I failed to shift. Don't ask me why or I swear, I will hate you forever.

After my sophomore year, I applied for four courses: BA Film, BA Broadcast Communication, BA Speech Communication and BA Psychology, my priority being in that order. After 3 interviews and 3 exams (Psych only considers your grade), I passed both Film and Speech Comm. You cannot imagine the length of the smile plastered on my face when I learned that. I really want to pursue Film, but I am terrified that my family may not be able to handle the finances. I thought BroadComm was really for me, but God has His plans. I am wholeheartedly proud that I am (well, soon to be) a BA Speech Communication major!

So this is my advice to all UPCAT takers out there, and to other students who are still undecided: know what you really want but also think of other people that would be affected. Everyone told me that it would be easy to shift but let me tell you this: don't take any chances. Get it right from the start. My biggest regret is not writing down the course of my choice. I really tried to be an Engineering student but you can't force something that does not fit. Pursue what you love. In terms of finances, choose another one :)) As for choosing your school, make UP your priority. It took a long time for me to realize how it is and will be helpful to me and my family.

Another advice: keep reading my blog :) Padayon, UP!