How I graduated summa cum laude from UP Diliman despite failing the UPCAT

Frances Nikka Nyx Alfonso Courtesy of Nikka Alfonso

This is not the usual story that I share because of the insecurity that I had when I didn’t find my name in the list of 2019 UPCAT passers. This time, I want to acknowledge the bumpy ride that led me to my dream school, where I ended up graduating summa cum laude.

Studying at the University of the Philippines was my childhood dream, but the difficulty of achieving this struck me in 2019. I passed the entrance exams of other universities, but to my greatest dismay, I didn’t pass the UPCAT (my campus choices were UP Diliman and UP Manila). Others said that my UPG (University Predicted Grade) was still high (2.176), so I applied for reconsideration in various UP constituent units. Many days passed—I submitted the requirements and underwent interviews for different programs—but I didn’t hear back from them.

Since I was unsure of getting into UP, I enrolled first at Polytechnic University of the Philippines. PUP is a great university; I finished senior high school there. But I just can't let go of my UP dream.

While attending classes in PUP, I continued my reconsideration applications in UP. It was one heartbreak after another until I was accepted to UP Manila. It wasn't easy to capture what I felt back then, but I was snapped back again to the harsh reality when I learned that I can no longer pull out my documents from PUP because one month had passed since classes started (PUP’s first semester started earlier than UP’s). I had to go to different offices to appeal my case, and it was repeatedly rejected.

I was at my lowest because just when I already had a slot in UPM, I couldn't proceed with the enrollment without the necessary documents. Thankfully, my close friend's uncle had a friend working in PUP who willingly assisted me until my appeal was granted.

I decided to enroll in UPM with Philippine Arts as my course. I strived for high grades because I wanted to shift and pursue my dream program, Political Science, later on. I learned a lot in Philippine Arts, but while it's a great program, my heart still wasn't in it. I applied to shift to various programs like Public Administration in UPD and Political Science in UPM after my freshie year, but I was met again with several rejections and delays. I was unsure of letting go of PolSci because it was my dream program as a high school student, but I eventually pursued Public Ad in UPD. It's a decision I do not regret. Sometimes, you outgrow your own dreams and it’s okay.

The bumpy ride didn’t end with me getting into UPD. My family was in the low income class before my dad worked overseas, and now we're part of the lower middle income class. As the eldest child and grandchild on my father’s side, I’ve long been told by the elders that I’m the "hope" of the family.

Growing up, I had to bear that expectation—and I knew that I could only fulfill it by studying hard. This is the main reason why UP was my dream school. I saw the opportunities that could serve as my ticket to get out of poverty. As a child, I remember how I used to not eat much because I wanted to save some food for later. Although my father came back to the Philippines when I was in high school, I can attest to how hard it is to have an OFW parent. We also don’t have our own house and have moved between four rooms for rent since I was a child.

Being a college student with no proper study space was truly challenging, especially during online classes. My body was always aching because I had to read my readings and use my slow laptop even in uncomfortable situations. Living in Tondo, I also had to endure studying with noisy surroundings. The people in our barangay were always singing videoke, which my orgmates also heard on Zoom calls.

I finally saw my hard work pay off when I finished summa cum laude this year. Looking back, I can’t count how many times I wanted to cry because of my situation while studying, but I never shed tears because I was always pushed by the thought that I’ll never be able to change my situation if I don’t study even in difficult times.

I see this part of my life as “more” because I don't want to label it as poverty and be misinterpreted as romanticizing poverty. Poverty, which leaves families apart, makes owning a house difficult, and forces children to rise out of it is not something to be romanticized. It's a systemic ill that needs to be eradicated. This is the first time that I’m opening up about it, serving as a reminder that people may be going through “more” in life, and we just don’t know about it. So, let’s be kind to one another.

Overall, my experiences taught me two things: (1) Your determination and grit can get you through hopeless days, and (2) Poverty is indeed a hindrance to success. If not for the free tuition law, I might not have been able to study in UP even if I passed the UPCAT. In the first place, access to high quality education shouldn’t be this hard to achieve. The lack of access to education and poverty are just two of the many structural issues in our society. We shouldn’t accept this reality as it is. Instead, we should fight to change this reality. Going back to the most important thing that UP has taught me, let’s serve the people.

Off to the next journey, hanggang sa tagumpay!

This article How I graduated summa cum laude from UP Diliman despite failing the UPCAT was originally published in PhilSTAR L!fe