The summer heat is on, albeit with some La Niña showers. You have gone to the beach and your tan is peeling off. You are almost through with your cadet-officer training course. Baguio is becoming warmer. Your eyes are tired from devouring the latest Harry Potter novel. Nothing exciting is forthcoming in the local cinema except some inane mushy love story movies. You are tired of all the Koreanovelas on television. But before boredom creeps in, sit still and concentrate on the things that you can still do to make summer meaningful and worthwhile. There are the many enhancement programs being offered for the summer. Maybe it is time to learn how to swim, or paint, or design a web page. If you are incoming fourth year high school student, now is the time to seriously think and decide which college you are going to enter in school year 2007, especially if you want to study in the country’s premier university – the University of the Philippines (UP).
UP has the earliest entrance exam. The UPCAT or the UP College Admission Test was usually held in September years ago. But now, it has been moved to the first weekend of August. The scheduled date for this year’s UPCAT is August 5 and 6. While the official form will only be released around the first week of May, and the deadline for submission is set for the middle of June for schools based in Metro Manila, it is wise to prepare for the UPCAT this early.
There are basically two ways to prepare. The first is through self-study. The second one is by enrolling in an UPCAT review class.
Self-study is okay but may not be the most effective way. You may tend to slack off and may be overwhelmed by the volume of what you think may form part of the coverage of the UPCAT. On the plus side, it is a lot cheaper. You can go over your old notes in math, language, and science (the three main subjects which you will be tested for in UPCAT), if you still have them. Or buy a reviewer available in most bookstores for around P350.
The second approach is to enroll in a review class. The downside is the cost. There are review centers offering classes for as low as P3,000. The high end is an investment. Once you enter UP, you automatically become a "iskolar ng bayan". The Filipino people, through the different taxes they pay, subsidize each UP student by at least half-a-million pesos in their four years stay in the University to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Per unit cost in UP is around P300 as compared to Ateneo, La Salle and UAP’s P2,500 per unit charge.
If you choose the second approach, the next problem is choosing the best review center. Is the most expensive the best choice? Well, not really, according to Professor Arnel de Guzman, educator-sociologist and Academics Director of the Athena Review Center (ARC). "There are several things to consider in looking for a good review center," says Profesor de Guzman. "First, look at the modules. Is it based on a systematic research of the UPCAT? You see, the UPCAT has a system. The question were not just picked from the sky. Second, look at the faculty. Are they well experienced and not just fresh graduates. It helps if they are UP-trained. They will be familiar with the style and mindset of the UPCAT examiners.
The big one shave the advantage of name recall as they advertise heavily, either through print or through giant billboards. To recover the costs, they charge higher. Those who charge lower fees are what Professor de Guzman calls the "mosquito" review classes. "They normally just concentrate on the questions they think will most likely be asked. Sometimes they are run by college students who have no teaching experience."
De Guzman, who has taught sociology in prestigious schools like U.P., Ateneo, and St. Joseph’s College, claims that ARC is the only review center entirely devoted toward preparing high school students to enhance their chances of passing the UPCAT. "We dug the origins and the framework of the UPCAT and compared it to the other tests, said Professor de Guzman, an alumnus of UP himself. "We have unearthed the UPCAT examiners’ theory and logic system that has guided the rigorous selection of questions. Based on this, we have formatted our review classes accordingly, added Professor de Guzman.
The ARC review classes, 4-hour sessions covering Math, Language, Reading Comprehension, and Science, will be conducted by an all UP-trained faculty, who are not fresh graduates, but not old hags either, all with MAs (two of whom are Ph.D. holders). Afternoon sessions (1-5 p.m.) for the month of May are scheduled at the Audio Visual Room of the Department of Agrarian Reform (D.A.R.) Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City. Class size is pegged to at most 20 students to ensure close monitoring oif the students’ progress. The May class will start on the 3rd and will be held from Monday to Friday, up to the 16th.
The fee, inclusive of materials like its published reviewer, handouts and exercises, is only R6,5000. a R500.00 discount for spot-cash registration will be given. Consistent with ARC’s advocacy to make U.P. truly a University of the People, students from public high schools are given a 50 percent discount. They pay only R3,500.00.
For more inquiries, ARC may be contacted through Professor de Guzman at mobile phone no. 0917-8342266 or at tel. no. 740-0608. He can also be emailed at arneldg2000@yahoo.com.
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