School of Life

in 2002, i was already deciding by this time of which school to go. it was a tough one but looking back, i have no regrets to what i did.

i am so bad with numbers or math, in particular. so when third and fourth year subjects had chemistry and physics, i was doomed to lesser ranking in the honor roll.

was i devastated? sure i was. but i knew deep inside my heart that i am more than numbers.it was not easy since i was always in the top three in our first two years in high school. just imagine that unfamiliar territory that i was in back then.

after finally accepting my faith that my rank will not illuminate my success in college, i proceeded to just finish my stay at the banzali hall of our school with dignity.

to do this, i had to be accepted in schools that everybody would want to go. u.p. checked. dlsu checked. ust checked. mapua checked.

i never really knew what i wanted to take. hmm, actually, i fancied being a lawyer but my parents had to stop me since i still have my brothers who are not yet done with schooling.

left clueless about what to take now, i pondered on the thoughts of my father. he wanted me to take a course that can give me opportunities overseas. on his side, being an engineer, he wanted me to take something like information technology while on the other hand, my mother who was a midwife, wanted me to take something related to medicine. say physical therapy.

the courses that i will have to take will definitely influence the universities i am going to send my application for. u.p. was a sure ball. dlsu was always a dream school for me so it had to remain an option. the other two would have to be really good on something. so ust for the medical side and mapua for the technical side.

my classmates, especially those who were in the top ten always had u.p. in their mind. then ust and there were also some who were as ambitious as i am to try dlsu. most male classmates who had engineering on their minds went to mapua as well.

the race was on.

first hurdle was u.p. a lot were complaining actually. me? i just had to sit quietly. i did not know my chances but i felt good after the exam even if i had to burn most neurons that i have with those math problems. most classmates were all discussing about the answers in math when i was not really interested about those.

in u.p., some would opt to take a non-quota course just to get in but i did not do that. i chose u.p. manila as my first choice for campus and occupational therapy for my first choice of course offered. o.t. was a quota course so it was really tough for me. to complete the list, i had computer science (also a quota course) for the second choice then up los banos for the next choice of campus and still with computer science as my course there.

second was ust. honestly, i thought the exam was easy. why? it was because i finished 15 minutes earlier for the math subject! beat that! so here, i was really a little bit confident of my chances even if i had chosen a quota course in physical therapy.

third was dlsu. hardest and most challenging. i did not know how i was able to finish the exam since i could not even answer their sample test questions. as soon as i left the campus, i told my dad i did not make it. so goodbye to my dream school.

last was mapua. well, i almost pissed my pants with their math questions. clearly, i was not thinking when i decided to try my luck here.

you see, it was kinda unfair for u.p. and ust. i actually tried there just to see if i can make it. i just wanted to see my name among those who got accepted to those universities. all these times, my heart was really with dlsu even if i did not know exactly how to finance my college should i go there to study.

come december, first to publish the results was dlsu. i think we were about ten from the whole school who took the exam. guess what? i was the only one who got in! yay! and among those who failed the exam was my classmate who was running for the second honor! beat that bitch! well you see, i am really not that modest with this for i was badly hurting from the beating i took with math at that time.

after feeling down after i took the exam, i knew that i would not make it but surprise surprise! i got in with a quota course which was my first choice! my social climbing dreams were given a chance. but my parents were really not prepared for this.

this bitchy classmate of mine was just too much of his bragging rights. so life continued. come january, up came next. and guess what again? it was only me and our valedictorian who got in with their first choice of school and course! quota course again my dear. the others? oh they passed. but to their second choice of school and courses only.

i was really happy back then. you see, those classmates of mine who were up in the rankings were really sad and at the same time, could only marvel at my little success. to some, they were again amazed at me after failing to deliver with my chemistry and physics subjects.

jon, our valedictorian, though a long-time friend until now, was a bit unsure of my success. he even had to ask our adviser who was a u.p. economics graduate if my course was a quota one to which she responded positively. but that was nothing compared to an information that this classmate of mine who did not pass dlsu, cried again, upon knowing that he did not even pass the upcat.

let's move on to ust. i was contented already with up and dlsu but ust? it was a bonus. yes, i passed again and i was already for interview. others? oh waitlisted for their second choice. that bitch classmate of mine? waitlisted also. he was into medicine by the way. as you see, i was always very particular with this guy for he was a constant rival since my kindergarten days at our church. so there was a history.

to really spoil me, i even qualified for mapua. wow, i was really happy back then. my classmates told me they just had to cry for their failure to get in while i was only choosing on which school to go.

it was heartwarming. vindicating as well for i believe, those exams were the true test of who ranks higher. and i was right.

years forward, i never graduated in any of those schools. sad? hell no! i am just so proud of being a tamarraw in the sense that i will still go to feu if given another chance. i just realize that those things that you wanted before are really not meant for you to have.

they were meant to teach you. to shape you. it was fun feeling victorious.