u/StraightLeadsToGei

You can even hear the mic tweaking in the background while Momiji gropes the mic foam thing

As the title says, I am facing a dilemma of choosing between UPD and DLSU with both being free of tuition and fees. My personal pros and cons are the following.

UPD

Pros:

• PSA statistics and various rankings suggest that the university has the best performance towards ChE nationwide
• It is the most desirable and respected by employers and the masses in general
• Environment (by that I mean batchmates, alumni, and hopefully professors which I haven't confirmed that much yet) will be among the best of the best
• As long as I don't fail my classes my tuition is pretty much set for my entire course

Cons:

• Work culture is said to be heavily difficult (some even label it as toxic)
• I'm not entirely sure myself but they say that graduates here are expected to use the skills they acquire to serve the country (I actually agree with this since education here is from the taxpayers' money, but I plan to continue my education abroad for personal reasons)
• Might be nitpicking but my lifestyle will be significantly more tedious considering the proximity of the studio unit I found (20 minute walk probably)

DLSU

Pros:

• Performance in ChE is comparable to UPD (100% board exam passing rate with the recent top-notcher being from DLSU)
• The availability of a higher scholarship (STAR Scholars Program) which offers a 250k grant, close mentoring, and a foreign exchange program (take this with a grain of salt, among the top 100 examinees, only an estimate of 10-15 are chosen according to my internet surfing)
• Availability of other opportunities towards financial aid such as Gokongwei Grants
• The unit I found in Taft is right next to DLSU

Cons:

• I don't think the environment is as good as UPD
• Immensely notorious for its online classes
• I will need to maintain a certain performance level to keep the tuition (not sure if the requirement is to be within the top 100 amongst all courses)

Personally, my main priority is the quality of education. My personal regret is not applying for any Science High School or even in the Pisay system for my high school years, and it felt like I was lagging behind those who study under these institutions. Now given the opportunity to choose between some of the best universities the country offers, I am hoping to not make the same mistake. At the same time, however, I also value my mental health as from my experiences, I do not handle heavy workload very well, albeit I may be able to resolve this personal issue of mine through constant exposure and experience.

I would love to hear insights from alumni, especially within my course, since this decision really has a lot to consider. Any thoughts from others is also welcome, I would love to hear them all : )

Either choice is probably acceptable, but I want to make a decision that I can wholeheartedly agree to no matter how many times I choose.