Making the cut in UPCAT

Student teachers and their students

MANILA, Philippines- Getting into the University of the Philippines (UP) is not a walk in the park for the average high school student. But one organization in UP Diliman believes this should not be the case, especially for poor public school students who want a shot at becoming a scholar of the nation.

Every year, tens of thousands of high school seniors take the dreaded UP College Admission Test or UPCAT, arguably the most competitive college entrance exam in the country. Out of this figure, only a handful pass, with a few even ending up not enrolling.

For privileged students who want to make it to the cut, review centers that specialize in competitive college admission tests come in handy, providing modules and lectures that increase the chances of one passing the admission exam.

However, these review centers charge a hefty price that only the privileged can afford, something that leaves behind equally talented but poor students who come from public high schools.

The UP Industrial Engineering (IE) Club took note of this problem, and bridged the gap in 2002 with its award-winning project, the UP College Admission Mastery Program, or UPCAMP.

“The idea was and still is to tutor high school students for the upcoming UPCAT exams to help them in their performance. These kids usually don't have the resources to fund for their review programs. Our job is to provide free tutoring for them, to prepare them for the UPCAT,” IE Club President Enzo Esquivel said.

Only a year into the project, the government already noticed their efforts, with IE Club winning an award in 2003 for being on of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations in the country.

Targeting graduating students in public schools, IE Club organizes a seven-Saturday session where college students from UP teach for free. Subjects taught include general science, mathematics, grammar and reading comprehension, among others. For the 11 past years, Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science-Technology High School has been the host of the project, providing free rooms and electricity use to lecturers and participants.

“The schools approached us and they asked if they could be a part of this program and we accepted them,” Project Manager Weston Lee said.

Enzo Esquivel and Weston Lee

However, starting UPCAMP was not as easy as it could’ve been for IE Club, as some schools lacked enthusiasm for a project that can potentially help their senior students.

“There was a point when we used to invite schools and they said no, they won't pass anyway, so why bother?” Lee said.

But the project has gathered enough steam and still continues despite little obstacles that get in the way.

“I think this has become easier because we have a template, we know what to do because of the experience we have. Especially, like Weston, young people are involved right away, they get to learn more and more through their stay in college and they get to improve the project,” Enzo said.

This year, from June 15 to July 28, UPCAMP targets about 250 participants from public high schools in Quezon City and Makati.

Sponsors have also helped out with the project, providing food and other materials to the participants.

“This year we're co-presented by Universal Robina Corp. and Petron, and sponsored by Star Paper, Moonleaf and ClassPrints. We have everything, at what least we need so far,” Weston said.

To address expansion concerns, they enlisted the help of two other UP organizations- the Psychology Society and the Chinese Students’ Association.

“Our teachers come from each respective organization. Basically, it's college people teaching kids to get into college,” Weston said.

And the project seems to pay off, when last year, 28% of the participants got into UP, with some even enrolling in courses like economics and engineering, Enzo said.

“Even if they don't pass UP, and pass other colleges, (the schools are) happy with their students,” Weston said.

Looking forward, Weston said they plan to hold more UPCAMPS in different schools, to accommodate as much students as possible.

“We are proud because it has such a big impact. We as students know how it feels having studied all these things and we're blessed and privileged for us to share what we learn in school now, being UP students,” Enzo said.

The experience of applying to a prestigious university may seem hard for the poor public school student, but UPCAMP makes it a little easier, by sharing knowledge that among other things, is free.

“It might be scary, it might be hard, but when you take the test, and get all the results, everything will all be worth it. There's something you gain when you're trying,” Weston said.