Why UP?
The University of the Philippines is known as one of the most prestigious universities in the Philippines, but why choose to be in UP? One is only qualified for admission in UP depending on his UP Grade, which is composed of 60% his UPCAT score and 40% his grades of his first three years in high school. High school seniors take the UP College Admission Test on the first week of August. There are around 60, 000 examinees, and an average of only 17% pass the said exam. A number of students who do not pass the exam apply for reconsideration at the different campuses of UP, but reconsideration is only given to those whose UPGs are able to get into the cut-off. Out of the 8 campuses of UP, only one does not accept applications for reconsideration, UP Diliman, for the reason that it is considered as the top campus. “Even with the pressure surrounding me about the UPCAT, I will go to UP [Diliman]. It’s the best [university] around, it has quality education, the teachers are great, and I love the environment. It’s UP or nothing.” said Ruth Peralta, a senior from Quezon City Science High School.
Being the number one university in the country, it is the national university of the Philippines. According to the QS University Rankings in 2012, UP is the 348th university world wide, and the 67th university in the Asia Pacific.
Getting into UP is very hard. People tend to be assiduous in getting a slot in UP, but once you pass and enroll in UP, what happens now? That’s when you start asking yourself “Why did I really want UP?” It’s not just because UP is number one. “Iba, kapag UP” the answer given by Patrik Cabrera when asked why he chose UP. Patrik is one of the few students who applied for reconsideration in UP Manila. Blinded by the idea of getting reconsidered there, he did not enroll in any of the universities he passed, instead he waited for UP Manila’s decision for the whole summer, and fortunately, he got in. “If you’re an Iskolar ng Bayan, angat ka....