Memoirs of a UP Student Trying to Enroll in UP
It seems that as every academic year passes, the UP CRS (Computerized Registration System) becomes shitier and shitier. At least for me that is.
During my freshy year, registering in the CRS to get my subjects was a breeze. I always get the subjects I want. That is the CRS’ blessing to the new recruits of UP. In my sophomore year I had to endure hardships just to get the subjects I need. Take note: NEED and not WANT. I had to brave a long queue to enlist myself during the then newly implemented “real-time enlistment”. It was kind of okay. I only had to endure one line in my college and that was it. But this year’s enrollment is just out of this world!
The “real-time enlistment” scheme implemented last year gave way to this year’s “e-prerog”. Instead of one long line in a student’s college, a student must now go directly to the college/department where a specific subject is offered, and brave the long lines in the respective colleges/departments where the subjects they want are offered! Talk about tedious!
That is exactly what happened to me during this year’s registration. And it is not a pretty picture!
I bounced back and forth between the School of Economics (SE) and the College of Mass Communication (CMC) for two freaking days!
Since I was only able to get 12 units in the CRS enlistment (damn you freshies!!), I still have to look for three additional subjects so I can complete my required 21 units. I had to petition, along with other unfortunate students, for a new section to open in two major CMC subjects since almost all of the sections are already full or bursting full. But since bureaucracy in the Philippines is about as fast as the slowest pace of the slowest turtle, I cannot rely entirely on the petitions we did. To manage my time wisely I decided to go to SE and prerog for Econ100.1 which is required for us to take. I had to get a prerog form (which is weird…that was the very first time I encountered something as bureaucratic, yet entirely unnecessary, as that) and endure a slow moving line for four hours, only to find out that my patiently falling in line would be in vain! Just when I was about to reach my goal, the registration assistants decided to call it a day and just ask us back the next morning! Imagine that! To make things even worse my BJ class (not that kind of BJ!!! Its Broadcasting Journalism…) was dissolved! Three precious units went down the drain! Bye 12 units, hello 9! Thankfully the professor handling the dissolved class decided to absorb us into another subject!! So I was able to regain the precious units I lost that same day.
Though still feeling defeated, I adamantly went to SE the next morning to try and prerog for the Econ class I need. I had to endure another two hours of waiting in line only to find out that all the slots were already taken!! Feeling frustrated and utterly defeated, I went back to CMC to check the state of the class petitions I did the other day. The good news was the petitions pushed through, the bad news was that none of the new schedules fitted with my existing schedule!!! Argh!! Just when I was about to just jump out over the skywalk, things started to get better. A friend texted me that new slots opened up for Econ! I had to act…and fast. I rushed to SE and waited…again. It seems that the third time really is the charm! I was finally able to get my coveted subject and schedule under no other than Solita Monsod!!! Hurrah! I finally have 15 units!
Then came another window of opportunity. Since I made drastic changes in my schedule the other day (resulting to the loss of a good professor…for a better schedule…with a price of a terror professor…!!!) , I was able to prerog for a Film subject! Though the subject is a complete waste of my CMC electives, I don’t care anymore, I just want to complete my units. And so I have 18 units already!!
So what about the remaining three units which I still need? I wasn’t able to get it until after two days of waiting. I spent a day waiting for the ComRes101 class I petitioned for, and still failed to get it! Instead of looking for other subjects in the other colleges, I spent the day loitering around the Journ department while serving as an assistant to the registration assistants (weird huh?!) Barry and Amae (newest Collegian EIC) instead. Since not many students were enlisting anymore we just played games in the internet along with Kea, Cake, Cherrie, and Roni (fellow journalism students). I was under the impression that my enrollment would turn out fine, so I was pretty confident not to exert too much effort anymore.
Later that day I was able to enroll already. Though I only have 18 units, I still pushed through since I was already becoming frustrated. Payment was a breeze. The line moved fast. I can’t help but think that when it comes to money, the system (and I am not just talking about UP) can’t wait to get its hand on it. But when it comes to giving out service…well let’s not go there anymore. Anyway a funny thing happened when I was paying. I had to ask for Kea’s help in counting my money since the money I withdrew from my ATM came out in 100 peso bills. Imagine 9,000 pesos in 100 peso bills, that’s thick! If you use that much money in that number of bills to slap someone in the face, it will definitely hurt!! Hahaha!
The next day came as a complete surprise for me. When I went to the Journ department, I saw Prof. Chua, without hesitation I tried asking whether I could prerog in one of her classes. I wasn’t really expecting a “yes” from her, since she doesn’t accept prerogs in any of her subjects. But because of my persistence and good track record in her class before (I took her in J101 during my second year), she said “yes”! Imagine my excitement and surprise when she said that beautiful word! She must have felt sorry for me…hahaha! It turns out that I was the first student she allowed to prerog in her class in four years!! Four years!! Her only condition was that I do well in her class and that I should not tell other students that she accepted me as a prerog. But other students know about it already since they heard me talking to her in the journ department. So much for our little secret.
After four days of sweat and blood I was finally able to complete my 21 units. I rushed to the Office of the University Registrar to pay my dues and add my newly obtained subject to my enrolled classes! Yey me!
Moral of the story:
DO NOT STUDY IN UP!!! Nyahahaha!
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Oh no, Jean. If others badger Chua because you broadcasted it to the entire Mass Comm population, she’ll terrorize you! XD