First REGULAR Bite at the Life Pie called UP Enrollment

     Magpreprerog kayo?

                Ilang units pa kailangan nyo?

                Ang haba ng pila!

                For petition na lang…

                Sorry cut-off na. Balik nalang kayo bukas

                I swear I don’t ever wanna hear these sentences again!  You see, I’m a 2^nd year student in UP Diliman (I’m one proud Iskolar ng Bayan!) and here, they ALWAYS give priority during enrollment and enlistment to Freshmen and Graduating students. Obviously, I was a Freshman last year and being pampered by the University, getting all the units I needed and the enrollment were a breeze. Take note, “were”.  Not anymore!  This week is our enrollment week but my misery started way back – specifically during pre-enlistment. Unlike in other schools, we enlist our subjects online.  

This is how it works:

1.       We open CRS online

2.       We enter our username (given by the university) and password (of course we choose our own password)

3.       Once our page is open, we go to the Pre-enlistment area and search the subjects we would like to take

4.       We enlist these classes

5.       We close our page and wait for the results

6.       The system would then choose students who would get the specified slots in the classes. How do they choose? Well, it’s an online drawlots!

7.       After a few days, we check the results

8.       We print our 5a (that’s the form from CRS containing the units we got, our infos, etc)

9.       Then we bring the 5a during the enrollment

Sounds simple right? Well, theoretically it is. In reality, it’s a fiasco! Take me for example. I enlisted my Major subject (French), my Minor subject (Spanish), PE and GEs (basically the subjects we could take aside from our Major and Minor subjects). I also wanted to get MST (Math, Science and Technology) subjects because I still need 3 MSTs. We have specific number of MST, AH (Arts and Humanities) and SSP (Social Sciences) that we need to take. But when I checked the CRS after a few days, I only got 12 units out of the 66 units that I enlisted! That’s my Major (6 units), Minor (6 units) and PE (the 2 units of this isn’t counted).  I guess I’m still lucky because some of the students I know only got 6 or 9 units but still it’s frustrating!

Let’s fast forward to Enrollment Week. I arrived around 8:30 at FC (Faculty Center). The line was long but not overwhelmingly so (lines are undeniable part of UP enrollment). I got my 5a from my friend (thank you sooooo much Irene for printing my form 5a!).

 [Yep, that's her and yes, sya na ang dyosa ng mga bulaklak hahahahahaha]

I saw my classmates last sem and talked to them.

“Sumingit ka nalang dito,” one of them said.

Game! ;D

The line wasn’t moving because there were no professors yet to be our adviser and so we waited… and waited… and waited. Around 10, a prof arrived. Finally! Now this is one of the very few highlights of that day! The prof was Monsieur Richard Karl Deang himself! Yey! >.< I was done with pre-advising a few minutes before lunch break.

After lunch break, I and my friend faced the greatest battle of UP enrollment. PRE-ROG!!! The regular number of units in UP is 18 units. 12 units means you’re underload, 15 units is “safe”, 21 units is allowed for most students but beyond that, you’re overload. I only got 12 units and my friend got 15 units but she wanted 18 units so she wanted to get another GE (most GEs are 3 units). We walked around in search for an open subject. We went to CS (College of Science) and went up and down at FC and AS (Palma Hall) but all we saw are signs saying “No more slots” or “For Petition only”. Resigned, we went to CAL (College of Arts and Letters). There we saw the line for Philippine Studies subjects. There were still lots of slots but the line was hellish! Even so, I decided to risk it. My friend came with me (salamat sa pagdamay Mita dear! T^T).

Presenting, Mita Murillo! (sound effect: dyaraaaan!!!)

Again, we waited… and waited… and waited… The line moved every 15 minutes or so but not much. After almost 3 hours, we were oh so near the door and then…

“Sorry cut-off na. Balik nalang kayo bukas”

O_O

>_<

O.O

Excuse me?! Cut-off?! After 3 hours of sitting on the cold, not to mention dirty, floor, standing up and sitting again and with that close distance to our salvation from this nightmare?! No freaking way!!! 

But unfortunately, it’s a “Yes freaking way”. The operator of the computers already walked out on us. So what could we do? C’est la vie. We left – tired, hungry, thirsty and low-spirited.

The next day, I arrived at 8:30 again. I went to CAL. The line was longer than yesterday. 

*sigh* I should have arrived earlier.

I stood in line. My dormmates last sem were with me since we entered the building at the same time.

After a while, a friend approached me.

“Char!”  It was Joy, also my dormmate last sem.

Uh-huh, that's Joy. Opo, girl siya

                She told me she just had Pre-rog at 2 other subjects. Imagine my shock. Here I was, queuing for a subject since yesterday and still no luck while Joy already had 2 subjects FOR JUST THIS DAY! She then told me she saw slots for TRI-CAL students at CS for STS and NatSci1 and NatSci 2 classes. Hey, I’m from CAL! That’s my privilege! I immediately told my dormmates to save a spot in the line for me, grabbed Joy’s arm and sped away to CS.

                Unfortunately, my luck had run out. By the time we reached CS, there were no more slots for TRI-CAL students.

                T___T

                So I went back to CAL, sat down and waited again. Joy went to search for another subject. I told her to text me if she finds ANY subjects. Yes, I was that desperate.

                After some minutes, another friend, Mita, texted me saying a Kas 2 (Kasaysayan 2) subject would open. Normally, I wouldn’t even THINK about taking that subject. Just thinking about the boring lectures, the endless readings and the brain-cracking memorization makes me shiver but what the heck; beggars can’t be choosers, n’est pas?

                Again I told my dormmates to save a spot for me at the line and went to FC to catch up with Mita. I was able to get the Kas 1 subject there. I was so grateful that I didn’t complain about the early morning schedule.

                I went back to CAL. Around 3:30, I got a subject there. After that, I took my form 5a to CAL 101 for validation, then to DEL office for the printing of my form 5, then to Botor for post-advising. THEN, I’m done!!!

                I would have wanted to pay my tuition then but it was already 5pm and the cut-off time for paying was 4:30pm so I decided to go home.

                Good bye UP enrollment! Be nice to me next sem okay?!

    ^___^v

The reason for all I've been through