Blog Entry #7

UST Drawing Test for Wait-listed Applicants

I posted this last July 7, 2014, but it was deleted. Sorry for that.

When I received the results of USTET, I immediately followed the instructions and steps if you are wait listed. I sent an email and I indicated that I wanted to participate in the drawing test. I included my full name and my applicant number. The college replied with the test permit you needed to print out.

I attended the drawing test last February 23, 2014. I expected them to let us draw something that will be based from our imagination, something like our dream house or something similar but what did they let us draw?... It was the RIZAL MONUMENT.

I panicked when they told us that we are to draw that monument. That's why I thought I will not pass. I just did my best. What I did is that I drew an elevation of the monument. I made the monument symmetrical in both sides. I drew lines and measured them in order to achieve symmetry.

I didn't really remember how the Rizal Monument looked like that time. I drew a trapezoid shape as the monument's base and the pole-like structure was not flat. I put angles. I even drew the two guards that guides the monument and I drew two random persons on Rizal's sides.

I drew the front view. The one beside me was drawing an orthographic projection with background, flags, etc. It was all complete. That's why I don't really felt confident.

By the way, This is the Rizal Monument:

It was super far from what I drew, What a shame I didn't took a picture of it. Anyway, my drawing was funny, it was like a child drew it. Well in my memory. I did put shading though. I read another blog post about his/her experience, s/he said that the drawing should have shadings and it needs to be on the ground. I followed him.

While I was walking towards the front to pass my drawing, I looked at the works of the other examinees, they all drew perspectives with angles and all and there's me. I drew an elevation. I said oh well, Lord will handle the rest, at least I did my best.

I passed it and when February 27, 2014 comes, I returned to Beato Angelico (Archi at CFAD Building) and I saw my name in the list of passers. Yay! I passed!

It was fun until...

The College of Architecture's reservation date already passed. It's only February 27 to March 1, 2014. I thought it is on the same date as the other colleges. I came back on March 10, I have overlooked the date of reservation. I cried when they told me that I can't reserve anymore because my slot was already taken. It hurts to know that all this time you thought you already passed and ready to enrol but you did not reserve your slot. What I did was I go to the queue of reservation for civil engineering. I was sad while I am waiting in line and suddenly, they told the people that there are no more slots in civil engineering.

I can't do anything anymore but cry. The admin said reconsiderations are accepted so we did. We made a letter of reconsideration and had it notarized. After going back to UST, My mom said that the dean allowed me to reserve my slot. My mom begged the office. I think she even cried in front of them just to give me the slot. It was embarrassing, but at least I get to keep my slot. I am thankful to the Lord, my mom and of course to the dean who allowed me to reserve my slot.

I was considered since I got a high overall average in USTET. I was not alone actually, someone who did not get to reserve was also allowed. So I am not alone

That is all, my weird adventure in UST.

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Blog Entry #6

Now, I will talk about being a grade conscious person.

I was once a grade conscious student. The first reason is that I am trained to have high grades. I am always expected to have high grades. 

My mother said, when I was young, I am such a slow learner. I am always behind and I am always picking up the lessons last. I believed her. Her solution was to teach me every single day. I was not allowed to play after school, I can only play during weekends. Her way of teaching was scary for a child. She would yell at me when I don't get the lesson. She would sometimes hit me. No breaks until you get it. There is something that I will never forget. She always use her index finger and pierce it in my temple. She would always do that as if her index finger has all the information I need to know and when she placed it on my temple, I would instantly get it. I remember how I cried when she does that. And when I cry, she would only get more mad. One time, because my mother has long nails, my head bled. She was scolded by my godmother, and she never did it again. But I was still scared. That is why I am closer to my father when I was young. He would understand if I don't get high grades.

I realized when I was older that I am not a slow learner. How am I a slow learner when I got very high grades in pre - school. My mom? No. She just forced me. It was me and my teachers. I realized that my mom did that just to force me to study because I should be great. Because of my dad. I now get it. In order to keep my Dad, she made sure that we, her kids, should be something that my father should be proud of. Because it is we who could let my mother keep our father in our home.

I remember graduating pre-school as top 1. I remember giving my graduation speech. When I was in grade 1, my mother focused more on my brother and less on me. I was second in class when I finished grade 1. My mother was furious. She thinks that I deserve to be the top 1. She argued with the administration, I was young so I didn't really care. As a result, my top 1 classmate, transferred to another school.

In grade 3, I was tutored and my mother fully focused on my brother. She did to him what she did to me. I was sad for my brother, but thought that my brother and I often fight so I am also happy. I was a child okay? Don't judge.

Up until grade 5, I was the top 1. I was always the president of the class, teachers are really expecting too much from me. I liked the feeling before but now, to think of it, I hate it. I was not taught that grades are only numbers. That It will not matter when I go to high school.

I graduated in second place when I was in elementary. I felt disappointed of myself but I was proud because I get to enter a science high school. I didn't choose to be there. My parents wanted me to enter there. It was not easy. The pressure of keeping my grades high was too much because if my average goes lower than 85, I would get kicked out. I did get a line of 7, I cried. I cried because of low grades. Especially in first year since I was used to getting higher grades.

As I get to the higher years of high school, I didn't really care if I get low grades. What's important is that I pass and graduate. That was during high school. When I go to college. I was grade conscious again because of the first year cut off. I got high grades until the second semester of fourth year.

In college, being hard working i not enough. sometimes, your grade depends on your professor., whether s/he likes you or not, or maybe if s/he gives high grades or not. But my family doesn't understand that. They compare me to my best friend. I am an architecture student. She is a medical technology student. How can you compare our grades? I hated my mother for it.

My family fall in to pieces when I was in fourth year college. My education was at stake because of financial problems. My Mom lose all of our money because of gambling, that is why my parents no longer talk. I am now forced to apply for a scholarship. It was hard getting all the requirements, all the going back and forth to the office of student affairs, all the interviews, but I was accepted immediately because I have high grades and they saw that I really need it. Now, I have to maintain my grades.

I thought it was easy to maintain it, I just need to be lucky in my professors.

In one semester I was lucky, I got high grades than expected. But during the second semester, I was not lucky. One professor hates me or maybe she just make up and guess her student's grades. She gave me a 3.0. I am not allowed to have a 3.0. I don't know. I feel like 3.0 is really my grade because I know I didn't give my all and I know I can do better but I don't deserve to get that low of a grade.

I asked my professor if I could make up for my grade and she said no as the semester is already over. I asked for the breakdown of my grades because I needed to explain how I got that kind of grade and she gave it to me only to find that I was late in some submittal that none of my block mates even know about. I was not late I know. I always presented early and do my tasks immediately. So, I told her that and still she believes in what she believes. She said I should not say that I was not late because I AM late. For goodness sake I have my blockmates as my witnesses. And so I said, I will direct my concern to the dean's office if we will not come to an understanding because I don't really deserve the grade. Now(I think she thought it through since it will not be the first time she will be called at the dean's office because of issues similar to mine), she gave me a chance to improve my paper so that she can change my grades. I did improve my paper and submitted it to her, she talked to my mom about the grade and I still don't have news about it up to now.

Now I am pressured again to work hard for my grades because I need to keep my scholarship. I hate the thought that because of my parents I need to be pressured to keep my grades high. When now I know that grades doesn't matter in the future, that you don't need to be grade conscious all the time, and that you need to relax and have fun studying in order to learn something.

Real world doesn't care about your grades, it cares about what you have learned.

It's not that I want being grade conscious, It's just that I need to be one.

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