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The University of the Philippines (UP) is known and famous for it is funded by the government giving students a chance to study college with its free tuition. An anonymous poster in Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Freedom Wall, gave me a new perspective in studying at UP. The post started with “I am in Ateneo because I couldn’t afford to be in UP,” from #ADMUFreedomWall21800.
I remembered the time I encouraged my cousin to also study at UP because of its free tuition but his parents didn’t approve. Their reason? Money. The salary of my cousin’s parents is enough just for a dormitory. Food expenses, personal allowance, and cost of school supplies aren’t even included when they solve my cousin’s soon to be expenses if my cousin studied in UP. Thus, my cousin stayed in our province to study college there. The entry from the freedom wall and my cousin’s experience led me to think that despite UP being a school with free tuition, it is not enough.
I had flashbacks when I used to be a freshman where I also had to find a dorm since my home is 12 hours away from Baguio. I discovered UP Breha. My parents were happy to discover Breha, as it is near the school and the cost is affordable compared to other dormitories. But I am currently not in Breha because I was informed that you can’t cook and wash your clothes there. Studying in Baguio is expensive, everything is expensive; including food, I compared prices of food in our province to Baguio and the prices would skyrocket in Baguio. Even the meals at our cafeteria are not student-friendly, with a serving of rice and one dish priced at P70.
I am grateful that my parents can afford to let me live in a different dorm where I can wash my clothes and cook, which helps me lower the cost of my expenses. You can’t also ensure your stay in Breha as you need to check the dorm’s availability every semester. With those problems mentioned, I was shocked to learn that a private institution like Ateneo is more feasible for students who can’t afford other expenses besides tuition fees. I agree with the poster’s statement that “people make studying great,” because despite the problems that I face in UP, my college life is bearable because of my family and friends. Joana Marie V. Viray