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Ang alamat ng UPCAT FAILEE

ANG ALAMAT NG UPCAT FAILEE
Student story

Ang alamat ng UPCAT FAILEE

Oh, the UPCAT. Those five letters can strike fear into the hearts of many, and for good reason. They represent hours of study, sleepless nights, and the relentless pursuit of academic perfection. But what if I told you that my glorious failure in the UPCAT was the best thing that ever happened to me?

Char lang – sinabi ko lang un, traumatic talaga ang pag fail ko sa UPCAT.

Let’s start at the beginning: my relationship with the UPCAT was a classic case of “we thought we were exclusive, but apparently, we weren’t.” I went into that exam room feeling like a genius. I mean, I had aced every practice test, my friends thought I was basically a walking, talking, UPCAT prep book, and I was so confident that every course I chose were quota courses. UPIS me, quota course or bust.

When the results came out, my name was not on the list. I was devastated. It felt like my whole future had been written in disappearing ink. My dreams of proudly strolling across the UP campus were replaced with a sudden urge to cry, and cry some more. I already bought a UP shirt — I burned it when I got home.

But here’s where the story takes a turn. Just as I was wallowing in my misery, my mother talked to me and asked how I was. I said that I was depressed that I did not get into UP despite being a UPIS student since elementary. My mom gave a sigh and calmly said, “its ok, there are other colleges, and mana ka kasi sa tatay mo, inuuna pa ang bulakbol kaysa sa pag aaral.”

“But mooom!” I whined.

“Magtigil ka nga, edi mag apply ka sa iba, wag ka maarte, hindi lang naman ikaw ang bumagsak ng UPCAT sa Pilipinas, lechi.” My mom said with irritation.

I was encouraged after that and proceeded to apply to several other universities. Fast forward through a whirlwind of exams, I got into several colleges. I picked a semi-known college, and studied my ass off. My goal at this point was to get back into UP which was always my dream school. After two years, I was able to get the required GPA and applied for a transfer. I succeeded and in the end, I was finally a true UP college student. I graduated with not so flying colors and that was the end of that.

Here’s the thing about failing the UPCAT—it’s not the end of the world. In fact, it might just be the best thing that ever happened to me. Failing taught me resilience, creativity, and the importance of not taking myself too seriously. It showed me that there’s more than one way to achieve my dreams, and sometimes the detours lead to the most memorable journeys.

So, glory be to the UPCAT failee! If you’re out there reading this, feeling like your dreams have been dashed, remember: sometimes, failure is just the universe’s way of telling you to take a scenic route. Embrace it, learn from it, and who knows? You might just find your way back to where you were always meant to be, with a few extra stories to tell along the way.

In the end, it wasn’t UPCAT that defined my journey to UP—it was determination, adaptability, and, the resilience of never giving up on your goals. So here’s to the failees and the second-chancers. May your journey be as unexpected and rewarding as mine has been. And remember, every failure is just another step toward a fabulous success story.

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