My colors: maroon and green

In the Filipino culture, one thing that is always stressed is the value of education. Most of us are trained to study hard. Thus, we become attached to our schools; some even become hard-core loyalists.

I studied college in UPLB. For those who studied in UP, we would all know the kind of culture that the institution has. When we share our experiences to each other, we understand each other.

When I, together with my sister, went to grad school, I went to La Salle [influence of my sister, who  graduated from La Salle]. So just imagine the adjustments I had to make.

1. The most obvious one: the tuition

• In UP, I never crossed the PhP10,000 barrier for an 18-unit semester [although this was years ago]. In La Salle, you have to shell out at least PhP30,000 for a 9-unit semester [and to think La Salle was put up for the poor people]!

2. The people

• In UP, we come to class walking or riding a jeep. In La Salle, cars are the “in” thing.
• In UP, we can come to class wearing anything…even bedroom slippers and guitar sando. In La Salle, even if you’re simple, you have to make porma, especially because there is a dress code.
• In UP, I met activitists, socialites,  drug addicts, geeks, acloholics, farmers, simpletons, and what-have-you. In La Salle, it seemed that everyone I met were rich people [or trying-to-look-rich people].

3. The facilities

• In UP, four classrooms share one OHP. In La Salle, each classroom has a projector [where’s the justice in this world?].
• In UP, our main source of cold air was the rain seeping in the walls and ceilings; otherwise, we make paypay. In La Salle, all classrooms have airconditioning.
• In UP, the we are given one handout for the whole class, and we photocopy on our own. In La Salle, handouts are given to each student, complete with binder at the start of the semester.

4. The way class is conducted

• In UP, students come and go in the classroom, and class starts when the teacher comes in. In La Salle, the class starts and ends with a prayer [this was a shocker to me, not that I don’t pray, but maybe more because I wasn’t accustomed to this in UP. I felt we were in high school.].
• In UP, even though we become close to our classmates, it’s more of an independent atmosphere. In La Salle, the class is a class, complete with class officers [yes, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, etc] who will do tasks for the whole class.

5. The way schoolwork is accomplished

• In UP, the professor gives the homework and handouts to the students always in printed forms. In La Salle, some teachers give and accept homework through Yahoo groups [each class has a Yahoo group] or through e-mail [you have to have one]; part of first-day rituals is giving out e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers.
• In UP, when we have group work, we meet at a certain place at a certain time. In La Salle, when we have group work, we can meet online and use Yahoo Messenger at the comfort of our own homes [imagine simple Clickbooth Webinars for students].

6. The culture of absenteeism

• In UP, you will be in class to know whether the professor will be in. In La Salle, you will receive an e-mail or text message beforehand if the professor won’t be able to make it.
• In UP, you [at least I did] will use up all your maximum number of absences. In La Salle, you will use up all the maximum number of classes because you will be thinking of the tuition you paid.
• In UP, when a professor is absent, that’s one missed session. In La Salle, when the professor is absent, there will surely be a make-up class.

7. In general

• In UP, announcements are posted on the bulletin board. In La Salle, announcements (school-wide, college-wide, course-wide, and class-wide) are posted on the Internet.
• In UP, during enrollment, you have to wait in line for the course you want to take, hoping that by the time it’s your turn, slots are still available (sometimes, and I’ve experienced this, you have to literally beg the professor to take you in); this process is called enlistment. In La Salle, you choose your courses online and just go to the campus to pay.

Pretty major differences huh? But despite all these differences, one big similarity dispels them all [other than the fact that students at both these schools claim that their school is the best]: Both are top-notch insitutions that provide quality education.

Take your pick. As for me, my friends tell me I’m now a Maroon Archer [although I have to say that my heart will always be with UP].

Postcript: This post is not about which of the two schools is better or which school is the best. I don’t want to start a school war. I believe that each university/school, whatever and wherever it is, has its own unique qualities that make it stand out.

Disclaimer: Comparisons for UP were based years ago [I won’t tell how many]. I have no idea what the system is now, although I hope some of the facts I just gave out are now irrelevant.