University of the Philippines-How to Get a Scholarship at the Philippines' Premier University?

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Getting into college is not that easy. With the college cost going nowhere, getting into college is like finding a needle in a Stack of Hay. However, there are ways to get into college without spending too much.

College Scholarship

Scholarship varies. The most common scholarship is the Merit Scholarship. This scholarship is given only to students with outstanding grades-on the merit of their academic performance.

Passing the UPCAT-First Step

The University of the Philippines (UP) is a state university that grants merit scholarship. This university is one of Philippines' premier universities where almost all students want to study. Students are admitted in UP after they have passed the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT).

Among the Thousand Aspirants

My daughter is one among thousand students who aspire to study in UP. She took the UPCAT exam on August 06, 2011 at 12:30pm in UP Science Building, at Lahug, Cebu City. To be with her on her way to UP Lahug is an unforgettable experience.

We arrived around 10:00am-two and a half hour ahead of schedule. I stayed in the waiting shed together with other moms. I waited patiently for my daughter to settle in the examination room before I start reading my favorite book.

A Car Show in UP?

An hour before the second batch is set to take the UPCAT examination; I noticed a lot of cars entering the UP campus. However, the security guard stopped them because the UP vicinity is Off limits to visitors especially those driving their cars.

I was amused at the showcase of various car makes and models as they enter the UP campus--then shift into reverse and start backing up after being stopped by the guard--I should have taken a few seconds to count and jot down the information on the car makers, the models and the colors. Sad to say, I was so starstruck with the folks driving their luxury cars slowly in front of me.

How Likely are You to be Accepted in UP?

Is UP for the rich or the poor and deserving students? Do the upper class ever dominates the state university? Remember the “car show”? Hmmm, I hope it's not.

I've learned that to get that much coveted slot in UP, all applicants are rank according to the joint UPCAT scores, high school grades and equity factors. UPCAT passers are then screened according to their choice of UP campus, quota and cut-off grade set by their choice of campus.

Once students are qualified, they are screened for acceptance in one of their degree of choice. Qualified students are then ranked. Top ranking students are accepted according to the open slot for the program they chose.

I’m Satisfied with the Process.

The process of getting a slot in UP should no longer be open to doubt. My daughter loves to draw, so her first choice was Fine Arts. However, she is a computer enthusiast too, so I told her to grab the easy money course-consider computer science.