Saturday, June 14, 2008

2 Days After Independence Day

I am writing today as a week-old college freshman. I was able to experience college firsthand, and I was really struck by all the freedom I have recently acquired. The haircut rule is already a thing of the past. 6am mornings are lessened. I was also really surprised by all the free time I had.

Yes, these privileges and a lot more existed, but I have also observed that most of my classmates now are the brightest in the country. Some have even come from the farthest places to study in the Ateneo, eager to show the best they have got. After my first week in college, after all the talks from upperclassmen and school officials regarding how hard it is to stay in the Ateneo, more so stay in my course of study, I have come to realize that all the freedom of college in the Ateneo (or in any school, for that matter), comes with a price, just like anything in this world.

And so I found myself studying during the lightest week of the year, like it was mid-year.

Once again, I felt like a high school freshman being drilled with words of wisdom by Mr. Pagsanghan, the most memorable (and appropriate) being "Everything has a price tag."

Yes, there may be lots of fun times in college, like parties, victories, and chances to meet people, but these fun moments may have to be earned by hard work. Because when you are partying with your 'free' time, someone else may be studying like hell for the next big test, and that night only may already spell the difference between your pasang-awa mark, and that person's summa cum laude QPI or GPA.

So, as college freshmen, do we abuse free time the wrong way, or the right way?


Happy Independence Day should have been the title of my post two days ago, had I decided to write one. Two days ago, we should have celebrated our freedom as a nation. We should have celebrated our freedom from abusive foreign rule.

However, after more than one hundred years, still one abuse, we can observe, is prevalent:

Negative abuse of so much freedom.
And I thought college was supposed to teach you how to manage freedom.

24 comments:

Crissy said...

This post made me miss my student's life. *Sigh

Anonymous said...

hi mikee! it's nice to know that you're kind of enjoying your first week as a college freshman. freshman year is like highschool, but there are more school works. professors have a lot of expectations too. so, my advice: use your free time the right way. =)

jay said...

haay, college life. full of regrets. back then my life evolved from school to home then school again. My advice, use your free time in socializing as well.. ang buhay ay di lang puro pag-aaral! learn how to balance everything..

Anonymous said...

hi mikee! hanga ako sayo kasi ang talino at kayang mong ibalance ang lahat. gusto kong maging gaya mo. :) anong course mo? interesado akong malaman kasi baka management din course mo. magkapareho tayo. sana makareply ka. tnx.

joana said...

hi mikee.!
super happy ako ng nalaman ko na may blog ka..
mahirap talaga maging college..
pero masaya rin kasi an daming adventures..
third year na ako ngaun, pero dami ko ng naexperience at natutunan..
sana maenjoy mo ang college life..
goodluck sa studies.!

ano nga pala course mo.?:)

princessYAM said...

long way to go mikee.

just take it easy.=)

Allen Yuarata said...

What a nice entry about college life. Enjoy all the free time you have now coz you may not have more in the coming months or years. Proper time management does the trick. And don't deprive yourself from sleep. ^^, try droppin' by into my blog. http://allenyuarata.blogspot.com
good day!

Anonymous said...

true! soo true! college really taught me a lot about managing freedom.

anyway, i use my free time.. the right way, and the right way for me is doing nothing. haha :p kc di ba.. when you say "free time", wala kang ginagawa.. when you're doing something, then it's not free time because you're occupied.. haha :p

(just fooling around) :D

Anonymous said...

Mikee, tama yung sinabi mo sa bandang huli: "Negative abuse of so much freedom". Gaya na lang ng nangyari sa Friendster Groups ko dahil hawak ko ang grupo na dala-dala ang pangalan ng educational institution ko (somewhere in Valenzuela City). Noong binura ko yung mga threads na medyo malisyoso at opensibo (talaga), may sobrang nagalit sa akin at kung anu-anong masasama ang mga sinabi sa akin. Then gumawa siya ng isang group na identical sa akin dahil name din ng school namin ang hawak-hawak pero puro batikos sa akin at sa grupo ko ang mga nakalagay. Ni hindi man lang nila naisip na dala rin niya ang name ng school namin. Oo nga, "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS ALWAYS PRACTICED HERE" ang motto ng group na ginawa niya, pero beyond limitations of freedom usage ang ginawa ko. Ang ginawa ko lang naman, nilinis ko ang discussion boards ng grupo ko. At saka nagpaalam naman ako sa mga members ko na buburahin ko ang mga threads for CLEANUP purposes pero ang daming nag-protesta sa akin. Mali kaya yung ginawa ko?

Sam said...

..hello,
..college freshman din ako,
..sa UP diliman ako nag-aaral,
..oh well dami ngang free time pero sa start lang un dahil once na nakapagdecide na ang mga prof kung pano tayo papahirapan, start n ng schoolworks,
..time management is really a must kung hindi sisipain tayo palabas ng unibersidad na pinapasukan natin,
..oh well enjoy naman mag-gala kahit masakit sa paa,
..goodluck satin, what nga pala course mo sa ADMU?

Akemi Agura said...

Dear Mikee,
Totoo na ang pagiging college = maraming free time. Ako nga e nung first year ko (last year lang yun) nagulat talaga ako kasi bungi-bungi yung schedule ko! Grabe, kailangan pang maghintay ng dalawang oras bago yung sunod kong klase. Ang ginagawa ko na lang para hindi masayang yung time ko, nagbabasa ako o di kaya'y nagsusulat. Kapag medyo pagod naman mata ko, pinipikit ko lang for a while tapos refreshed na ako.

Ikaw na bahala kung paano mo gagastusin yung free time mo. Tip lang, mabuti nga yung hindi mo sinasayang oras mo (mag-advanced reading atbp.)pero paminsan kailangan din ng "unwinding".

Enjoy ka lang at huwag ka magpalampas ng mga opportunities.

Good Luck sayo~!
Until your next post~~~(@^-^@)

.:d.j.:. said...

College life is really tough kuya. First day pa lang namin, may test na kami. waaaah.

I'm still trying to adjust po. Can you give some tips po on how to handle stress?. Grabe kc ang pressure eh.

Take care po always kuya!.
God bless!.

Anonymous said...

HI mikee! WOW college life! I agree with Jay, sabi nga ng philo prof ko kung sakali daw may "cute atenean na magyaya ng snack date same time with his class, for God's sake cut his class and go with the cute atenean" kasi daw hindi lahat ng matutunan ay nasa loob lang classroom at mas gugustuhin na niya na malaman na naging masaya ang araw ko kesa buong class niya iniisip ko na sayang yung date... same way when you said na madami kang natutunan sa loob ng bahay ni Kuya at inenjoy ang every moment na nasa loob. and at the end of it all, kung gagraduate ka man with latin honors, mas gugustuhin kong malaman na you enjoyed and lived your college life well. Kesa nabuhay kasama ang libro at hindi naging masaya. balance lang :) syempre wag makuntento sa pasang awa, you're better than that.

Study Hard, Party Harder, and Pray hardest :)

mas cool yun! MIKEE gimekerong magna cum laude!

akosivea said...

yer right.

freshman din ako gaya mo.

madami na agad kaming ginagawa.well, ganun naman ata talaga pag nursing.


nyway, what's yer course?

Anonymous said...

aww.. you're entry made me miss my freshman year. A year that's full of regrets. XD

I didn't get to balance everything and I used my free time.. the wrong way..

masyado kong na-feel ang freedom. kaya ako tuloy ang sobrang nag-suffer.

but now, i'm trying to get back on the right path na. :D

good luck on your college life.
Try to enjoy it, di lang puro aral.
There are a lot more things na matutunan outside school.

Just balance everything lang.


BTW, care for a link exchange?
tag me back of it's ok.

VJ said...

Hello Mikee. Can I link your blog sa blog ko? Mine is vjruado.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Having tons of free time is the perfect avenue for procrastination. In my case anyway, haha.

Anyway career success isn't all about having a Latin honour, in fact, employers ask credentials (leadership, primarily) instead of your QPI.

Just dropping by. :)

Anonymous said...

Aaahhh... College Life. In the one week that school has started, I haven't seen you on campus yet. LOL.

Out of curiosity, since it is RecWeek and all, what Org did you join? I'm just curious... Don't worry, I'm not going to stalk you... LOL. =))

lianne_shin14 said...

Hey, mikee! Im so glad that i found your blog! Can you include me in your blog list? Please! http://shinyamato14.blogspot.com -tnx mikee! Im a great fan of yours! God bless and goodluck! (^¤^)

Peppermint Streak said...

YOu have no idea how anxious i felt during my last first day of class. im graduating, looking forward, and scared. =)

optimism does wonders.

Arthur Karl Paras said...

nice mikee... good luck in ur college life!

btw i'm also a freshman like u, but i'm "green" hehe :)

Anonymous said...

goodluck.. kayang-kaya mo yan!

SuperMariel said...

hi Mikee. Nakuha ko 'yung ad mo sa Ktext. i'm a subscriber.

i'm a college student too. I felt the same way when i first stepped to College. it's not that bad naman. Although there is always one thing that a college freshman can observe lalo na sa case ko noon. School inferiorities. Haven't you observed sa ilang classmates mo lately na hindi galing ng Ateneo high? they feel so intimidated to some people kasi maluho, matalino, at "whole package" na kum baga. I've been to an Ateneo school here in Mindanao too & i felt the same way towards me classmates from the high school department of that certain university because i came from a catholic institution far from the knowledge of my atenean classmates. it was so hard to be in-level with them. but a weeks later, I got along with them & loved the Atenean that i am (and was). So try to compensate with other thoughts. I'm just glad you're not a quitter. because some even quit without going through the risks. they don't know what it's like after taking the risk.

Hope to hear more about your insights.

visit my site too at cleofatra.blogspot.com, leave a comment!

To God be the Glory!

Anonymous said...

Hi Mikee! You're my idol since PBB. I really admire you. I just wanted to ask what course are you taking up?