For many people, love starts, not at first sight, but at their first year in UP. While this may not be applicable to all, here are the five plausible loves* of your life that you may meet in our beloved State University.
* Excluding the cute classmate you’ve been eyeing in that GE.
[1] The love story: Your course.
Whether it’s BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology or BA Journalism, you should fall in love with the field of study you wish to pursue for the next four years. Love stories take time to cultivate and culture, to write and produce, so don’t let yours have a lackluster ending! Learn to love your own story by soaking up everything your chosen path has to offer—whether it’s participating in departmental activities, asking experts on advice on survival, or reading up on the latest innovations in the field—as it leads you towards the destination called “employment”. Hehe!
[2] Cupid’s cherubs: Your professors.
These are the cupids who will make you fall for (or fail in) your course. Their arrows may be painful at first (with some blood and tears mixed in, even), but rest assured, they only want what’s best for you. Sounds like a telenovela. Most class stories are made up of the stuff that creates those. Learn to grit your teeth against the bitter rejection they will undoubtedly hand your long exams, quizzes, finals, papers and lab experiments—after all, one does not love in pure bliss. As the band The Fray said: sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same…
[3] The best friend: Your organization(s).
You may choose to love or not to love this one. After all, some can’t commit to multiple relationships. But once you decide to take the responsibility of handling these, make sure that you pour every ounce of enthusiasm in them. Organizations will be that best friend you realize you’ve been in love with all along—after your course and your professors have jilted you.
[4] The rush: Your adventures.
Life in the State University is never boring. With a campus rumored to be as wide as Vatican City, there’s bound to be a thrill at every corner. This sense of giddiness, excitement, and sometimes even foreboding will be with you in every year of UP. Whether it’s fighting for your rights by joining the next rally to dancing in the rain at the UP Fair, soak up the experiences that UP has to offer. Your college years may be the last opportunity you may get to do the crazy things that only the University’s liberality can offer.
[5] The love of your UP life: Oble.
At the foot of the Oblation statue in UP Diliman are choice lines from Rizal’s “El Filibusterismo” uttered by the character Padre Florentino. Along with it is a plaque explaining the meaning of the Oblation. In a nutshell, it’s offering oneself to the country.
Your UP life will be filled with a variety of emotions, ranging from extreme frustration to the most euphoric high. In the darkest and happiest of times, remember that the State University will challenge not only your mind, but—at the risk of sounding cheesy—your heart. From academic frustrations to jaded ideals, UP will try and test the will that a true Iskolar ng Bayan possesses. And to you, fellow Isko/Iska, I leave you with the words that classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz once uttered:
“Your mind must control, but you must have heart . . .”
The contents of this post were retrieved from a Wayback Machine archive of UPJC’s old website on July 14, 2024, 01:54:02 GMT.
