UPB vs UPD living expenses (coming from a relatively poor top student from Isabela, Region II)
I'm a second child (will be gr 12 this school year) with my older brother already graduated from Northeastern College in Santiago (Not a Scholar). As far as i remember, private college yon and ang allowance niya is 1.5K a week pero umuuwi siya every weekends and ang dorm niya is 1.5K a month excluding electric bills, tuitions, miscellaneous fees, and school projects. Which is really na nag struggle ang family namin that time, buti nalang 7 years ang age gap namin ni kuya para di mag sabay sa college.
I have been wondering about the difference of living expenses between UPB and UPD po as a student aiming for a slot for BS Physics (still yet to take the UPCAT).
I have done some research and dorms near UPB can range from 5-7K monthly kahit na may kasama ka and for females and elders lang daw yung UPB Residence Hall unlike sa UPD campus dorms na 500-1K lang daw monthly (3K+ if sa Krus na Ligas and mas mahal if in demand). For food naman is halos same lang, 200-300 a day pero kasi i can cook which can cut costs pero bawal daw magluto sa UPD campus dorms? And also, hindi ako ganon kahilig sa snacks pero i tend to eat a lot. Transportation-wise, i like to walk, i can walk for more than an hour ng walang tigil and "walking distance" naman daw ang buildings if kaya magtiyaga. Sa amenities (wifi, ref, e-fans), i have read na included na yon sa UPD campus dorms excluding laundry. Also, i have read na mas mataas daw chance ng students that lives farther are more likely to be accepted in UPD dorms.
If hindi ako matatanggap sa scholarships, i literally won't be able to study outside our province because of our financial situation or mababaon kami sa utang if pinagpatuloy ko parin ang pag aaral sa UP, so talagang need ko ang cheaper option between UPB and UPD. Butttt mataas ang chance ko sa CHED BPMSP dahil if namaintain ko ang ranking and grades ko which is 96 GWA and rank 1(i noticed that mas mababa magbigay ng grades ang school namin kaysa sa ibang schools na umaabot ng 98 ang GWA nila), id be a valedictorian. Additionally, im considering DOST-SEI pero i heard na mahirap daw so hindi ako sure if papasa ako rito.
AAAGGGHHHH im still skeptical kasi if kaya ba namin living expenses ko kahit na ma admit ako sa CHED BPMSP. Napagkasunduan namin ng parents ko na hindi na ko tutuloy sa UP if hindi ako matanggap sa scholarships but i really really really want to study at UP. I want to know if saan ang safer option financial-wise and could give a total expense monthly? And a comparison if possible. Tips would be much appreciated also.
Thank you very much.