UP or Ateneo revisited
Sunday
Jan 13, 2008
I’m not even including La Salle here. Hehehe… Evil me.
Anyway, I’m quite in a quandary here whether I have to reconsider my views. Well, you may think that since I am affiliated with UP, I will be in full support of the University. Well, quite honestly, being with the university in a role other than a student has made me look at things differently. Politics in the academe is a lot more horrible than politics in a corporate workplace. For some reason, you lose some sense of admiration for some of the bright minds.
But it has also been nearly 7 long years since I’ve been with the Ateneo and I have no authority whatsoever to speak about the internal goings in the tertiary level except perhaps, my own observations on acquaintances who have went through the Loyola Schools.
Sexy Mom reposted her take on the matter. Quite a service too, for those in great mental constipation caused by the tough choice between the two schools. Now on with my own (new?) opinions.
I’ve pointed this out to my English 30 classes in our discussion of how organizations and institutions project their images. Let’s do a bit of discourse analysis here. Visit the UP’s About Us page and compared that to Ateneo’s.
Here’s what UP has to say in their introductory paragraph:
AS THE ONLY national university in the country, the University of the Philippines System takes pride in being the pioneer in higher education through academic excellence, outstanding research, public service, and modernized facilities.
And here’s what Ateneo has to say:
To understand the soul of the Ateneo de Manila University — what shaped it and where it came from, where it is going and where it can take you — it is essential to understand its motto, Lux in Domino, or “Light in the Lord.”
It is clear how UP foregrounds prestige (though the last bit there on “modernized facilities” is a bit questionable) and how the Ateneo, being a Jesuit school, highlights values. It’s pretty much a given for UP not to highlight anything else other than its status as the country’s premiere state university. And what else do you expect from a school run by Jesuits? Ignore Jesus?
But what do these have to do with choosing between schools?
UP has always been known for its angas. And I have to admit that I ride this wave of angas myself. Being a UP graduate somehow just makes you feel infallible for some reason. That everyone else is a notch dumber than you are basically because you graduated for the country’s top university. Never mind if your grade transcript shows columns of 5s and DRPs (Good thing mine doesn’t).
One of my students curiously pointed out that the way the Ateneo foregrounds values reveals their market – Catholic school boys and girls… and their parents. Yeah, right. Kids going for values. As for the parents, these would be those who have fervently believed that Catholic schools are the best for their children (If only they knew. Hehehe.).
Does image have to do with anything at all? Well, I do believe so. Yes, image has got a lot to do with it. I’ve read a lot of freshmen essays writing about how parents have tried to dissuade them from entering UP just because of how ungodly UP is. Or how dangerous fraternities and sororities are. Or how they won’t be able to drive their BMWs in campus.
What the f*ck! And yes. That! So how about social class? Social classes determine a lot about a school’s culture.
You still think UP’s for the masa and the Ateneo’s for the coños? Think again. It hasn’t really been that way for the past few years. When I was in college, I seriously. I met a few very admirable tibaks who have really stood for their beliefs. But I’ve also f aux tibaks who raise their clenched left fists, fingers wrapped around the latest cell phones.
Looking at how UP has become so burgis today, I begin to question whether, culturally and ideologically, students are becoming more and more like those from across Katipunan and with the Arneow accent, I tells ya. Plenty of times I was nearly ran over by hulking luxury SUVs picking up students from the Faculty Center parking lot. When did that begin to happen? And f*ck them dumb kids who steal faculty parking spaces (I so swear, if I catch one dumb f*ck…). And yes, parking is now a problem in UP! In Diliman, for chrissakes!
I’ve started to ask “Where are the iskos and iskas?” The real talino ng masa to whom I should be imparting knowledge to. And this is probably why I am seriously reconsidering my stay in UP.
So my take on the original question again? If you want a few thousand pesos off in your tuition and classrooms without crucifixes (and a whole lot of other things), go for UP. If you want the real burgis experience though, go for Ateneo.
Hehehe. Jaded ba?
Anyway, my real piece of advice to the young ‘uns is this – Go choose a college that best fits your purpose. For many, that should be the strength of the academic program being offered by these universities. And choose the campus that would provide you with the best environment for you to learn and grow as a person. No matter what decision you make, college is the next big step to the real world. A large part of how you turn out after college is mostly your doing.
Did I just write that? Piff. Hehehe.
Comments
sexy mom
January 13th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Good discussion, Alex
We will be supporting Vince’s decision (I remember having mentioned in an earlier post that he is more inclined to go to Ateneo).
He has a few weeks for his final decision.
thanks, Alexfor your (re) take on the issue — Ateneo or UP?
benj
January 14th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I often wonder what’s so special about UP.
The facilities suck. You can’t say that the university fosters a great academic environment. The faculty is supposedly good, but come to think of it, a lot of them do the “you’re in UP and you shouldn’t be force fed” routine. There’s minimal teaching that happens in the classroom and UP’s culture actually makes it fashionable for teachers to expect more without doing much.
Next issue of course would be the students. The UP demographic has been changing. The middle class has dominated the state university for the past few decades and these kids could very well afford Ateneo’s tuition. What’s the difference between UP and Ateneo? Well, supposedly, UP’s entrance examination is more discriminating and serves as a better sieve than Ateneo’s.
As far as board exams go, except for Law (where UP I think is languishing at fourth), UP performs better than any university. The College of Engineering churns out 100% passing rates as if it was annual phenomenon. UP Med has always outperformed USTMed despite not landing more people in the top ten like in the past. UP Manila’s colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Physical Therapy have likewise been virtually perfect in terms of passing rates.
It will not be in my best interest to question the UPCAT – after all, I was in the top 100 back in my day LOLOLOL. But seriously, can we really bank on the UPCAT as the sole tangible reason why we’re the best. We claim that we get the best students because our selection process cuts through demographics and regions. Though it might make for a more vibrant student body, I don’t think being in a microcosm of the Philippines could translate to a better academic environment.
After seeing how decked out schools in other Southeast Asian countries are, I’m more convinced that UP is but a big goldfish in it’s own fish bowl – unmindful of the fact that there are far bigger fish in the open sea.
Alex
January 14th, 2008 at 4:31 am
So true Benj. In fact, being inside the academe has convinced me how late we are in terms of research interests. Sure, a lot of our colleges are centers of excellence but in whose standards? Those are local standards. I agree that other Southeast Asian schools are starting to become more and more advanced in a lot of aspects than us.
chiara
January 20th, 2008 at 1:04 am
to benj: so what would you recommend, up or ateneo?
marji
March 16th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
i really am so confused to in deciding where to study.
ateneo or up?
Alex
March 17th, 2008 at 10:40 am
The best way to go is to ask around. A lot of alumni would swear by their alma maters. But as I’ve said, the most practical thing to do is weigh your options. With UP’s tuition fee a lot stiffer than it used to, considering Ateneo is quite natural. I guess the next issue is the strength of the academic program.
What courses would you like to take, anyway?
Lysa
February 28th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Hello! As an incoming college freshman, I’d like to ask your thoughts on UP’s BA Journalism program (e.g. regarding the faculty, facilities, curriculum, etc.). I also qualified for Ateneo’s BFA Creative Writing, and I am in the process of discerning which university to finally enroll in. Any help you can lend would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Alex
February 28th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Hi Lysa,
Creative writing and journalism are two different fields. I’m hesitant to say that creative writing’s more flexible and journalism’s a bit more structured. If you think you’d like a career as a journalist, then go for journalism. If you’d like to engage a more creative field then CW might be the better choice. As for the curriculum, you can always drop by the Journalism department at the College of Mass Communications and as for a course outline. By the way, UP also has creative writing programs (in English and Filipino).
jeff
May 16th, 2009 at 2:39 am
Sir, if you are having problems with UP becoming more “burgis” and all, I think u shud start to consider that maybe these well- off people come to UP to gain the academic excellence that is promised to them by the university. who cares about the social status and the classification? who cares about the conio and the tibak? we are all up for one thing.. education. that is what matters.
And what makes you think that the “burgis” can’t be the the talino ng bayan? Pag burgis ba, dapat automatic na nasa Arneow ka, as you call it? What if we are looking for the education that only UP can provide? Are you gonna deprive us of that?
jeff
May 16th, 2009 at 2:40 am
that is just so narrow- minded.
Alex
May 16th, 2009 at 5:58 am
Oh trust me, Jeff. From personal experience, I know that not all rich kids are out for the “excellent” education. There a lot of reasons why students from well-off families go to UP. Parent and peer pressure, practicality, dad will buy be a new car from the savings I get from UP education, etc…
The demographics shift is inevitable with the tuition fee increase and it’s a fact that I just have to live with.
If it’s really the strength of the program that you’re really looking for, then I suggest you check Benj’s comment again. UP is now behind in terms of program advancements in the region. If I had the resources, I’d rather just fly to Singapore and study at NUS. If you settle for UP even with the financial resources, then I think that’s just going for the best buck-per-bang deal you can get locally.
Great way of using UP resources as well. I see that you commented using Dilnet.
jeff
May 16th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Of course the demographics would shift. UP is trying to catch up in terms of the facilities and research programs that you say we are sooo left behind. we can’t expect the meager amount the gov’t gives us to allow us to have those advancements. It’s a necessity. We need other resources for that.
This makes UP even more competitive kasi students suddenly have to compete extra hard for scholarships (e.g. DOST) due to the tuition fee increase. It’s another sieve.
And as for the rich kids who decided to go to UP, they passed the UPCAT. So may ibubuga rin naman sila siguro. It’s up to the guys from the academe (like you) to develop and mold them into intelligent individuals if you think most of them are not up for that. At least its the BEST buck-per-bang deal locally. There are a lot of reasons why students would prefer to stay here than study in better universities abroad even with their finances.
Yes, I’m making the most out of UP’s resources (CIA ka?). In fact, I exploit the Dilnet. Thank you for your insights anyway. They are very helpful.