Back to School

June marks the beginning of classes in the Philippines. By June 10, students from all levels will once again troop to their schools, colleges, and universities. It’s gonna be a reunion and the start of a grueling school year. The usual Manila traffic will be here once again. Whew!

I will go back to school, too. I enrolled at the MA in Communication program of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Classes will start on June 14, 2008. I only have classes on Saturdays. But, man!! the load is quite heavy. I have to start studying at 8:00 and it will end on 5:30 in the afternoon. I just have a 30-minute lunch break. Whoa! That will be a very demanding schedule. Nine heavy units were all I took. That’s the maximum number of units allowable.

So what came to me that I enrolled in this course? And why PUP?

For one, I’m very much interested in new media–blogging, videos, digital media, and the Internet. There are a thousand and one (probably more) possible applications of this new media in the society. I want to explore that and hopefully, become a new media practitioner. I already am, in a manner of speaking. But I want to be more intentional about it and I want to be able to spot the trends as they emerge.

Secondly, Communication is what I really wanted to finish back in College. My college degree is Political Science and I would have shifted to BA English or Comparative Literature if I had the chance. Too bad, I didn’t! So this is my second chance of studying what I really love. Here’s a secret, too. I wasn’t really an “A” student back in College. This might be my chance of showing that I’m a diligent student. hahah.

I decided to enrol in PUP, primarily because of the cheaper tuition fee. I paid P3250 for a 9-unit semester. If I enrolled in UP, the cost would have been around P12,000. Where would I get that amount? Geez!

I’m looking forward to a sem of learning in PUP. I gotta buy my notebooks, my pens, my Crayola, my Mongols, my new bag, and my uniform. Hahah. Just kidding.