u/iluvvvvvmilf

I'm an incoming 4th year BSIT student from a private college in the Philippines, and our school is putting us through something that's honestly been stressing all of us out.

From our 1st year until our 3rd year, we've stayed in the same section. For three years, we've built friendships, learned how to work together, and became each other's support system. We already know each other's strengths and weaknesses, how we work in group projects, and we've basically grown up together throughout college.

Then, just a few days before classes start, the school suddenly announced that they're reshuffling all of our sections because they want the classes to be "balanced" and "fair."

But... why now?

If this was really their plan, why didn't they do it back in our 1st or 2nd year? Why wait until we're about to enter our final year, when stability matters the most?

What's even more frustrating is that we used to choose our sections during enrollment on a first-come, first-served basis. That had been the system for years, so everyone already expected it to stay that way.

What I also don't understand is this: if the goal is to "balance" the sections, why are students the ones being forced to adjust? If some students need more academic support, shouldn't the school improve its academic interventions, mentoring, or tutoring instead of breaking apart sections that have been together for three years?

To make things even worse, they're also changing our Capstone policies this academic year.

So now we're expected to deal with two major changes at the same time: a completely new section and new Capstone rules.

Instead of focusing on our Capstone, internship preparations, and other graduation requirements, we'll have to spend time adjusting to new classmates, figuring out who we can rely on, and rebuilding working relationships from scratch.

And honestly, the reshuffling doesn't even feel "fair."

Some friend groups and former sections are still mostly together, while others—including ours—were split apart. From our perspective, it feels very selective, which makes it even harder to understand how this is supposed to be balanced.

This isn't just about wanting to stay with our friends.

It's about keeping the academic support system we've spent three years building. By our fourth year, we've already developed trust, teamwork, and a way of working together that helps us succeed. That's not something you can rebuild overnight.

Another thing that really upset us was the lack of notice.

We only found out about the reshuffling during enrollment. If they had informed us months ago, at least we could've prepared ourselves or shared our concerns before the decision was finalized. Instead, classes are about to start, and we're only hearing about it now.

Our program also has a new program head, and almost immediately we're seeing major policy changes. As students, it's hard not to question whether these changes have been carefully evaluated, especially since they'll directly affect our final year.

Safety is another concern.

A lot of us commute home together every day. In today's situation, having people you trust to travel with isn't a small thing—it gives us peace of mind. Being separated from them is another unnecessary adjustment we're being forced to make.

This Monday, we're submitting a petition, and we're hoping as many students as possible will sign it because this isn't just affecting a handful of people. It's affecting a lot of us.

If the school ignores our petition, we'd like to know what the proper process is for raising our concerns to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

If anyone here has gone through something similar or knows how complaints or concerns involving private colleges are handled by CHED, I'd really appreciate your advice.

I'm honestly scared to even post this.

I'm doing this not just for myself but for my fellow students. Many students are afraid to speak up because they're worried about possible consequences or simply don't want to get involved. Whether those fears are justified or not, they're real to us, and they've discouraged many students from voicing their concerns.

We're not trying to attack our school.

We just want to be heard. We want our welfare as students to matter just as much as administrative decisions.

Any advice would mean a lot. Thank you.

I'm an incoming 4th year BSIT student from a private college in the Philippines, and our school is putting us through something that's honestly been stressing all of us out.

From our 1st year until our 3rd year, we've stayed in the same section. For three years, we've built friendships, learned how to work together, and became each other's support system. We already know each other's strengths and weaknesses, how we work in group projects, and we've basically grown up together throughout college.

Then, just a few days before classes start, the school suddenly announced that they're reshuffling all of our sections because they want the classes to be "balanced" and "fair."

But... why now?

If this was really their plan, why didn't they do it back in our 1st or 2nd year? Why wait until we're about to enter our final year, when stability matters the most?

What's even more frustrating is that we used to choose our sections during enrollment on a first-come, first-served basis. That had been the system for years, so everyone already expected it to stay that way.

What I also don't understand is this: if the goal is to "balance" the sections, why are students the ones being forced to adjust? If some students need more academic support, shouldn't the school improve its academic interventions, mentoring, or tutoring instead of breaking apart sections that have been together for three years?

To make things even worse, they're also changing our Capstone policies this academic year.

So now we're expected to deal with two major changes at the same time: a completely new section and new Capstone rules.

Instead of focusing on our Capstone, internship preparations, and other graduation requirements, we'll have to spend time adjusting to new classmates, figuring out who we can rely on, and rebuilding working relationships from scratch.

And honestly, the reshuffling doesn't even feel "fair."

Some friend groups and former sections are still mostly together, while others—including ours—were split apart. From our perspective, it feels very selective, which makes it even harder to understand how this is supposed to be balanced.

This isn't just about wanting to stay with our friends.

It's about keeping the academic support system we've spent three years building. By our fourth year, we've already developed trust, teamwork, and a way of working together that helps us succeed. That's not something you can rebuild overnight.

Another thing that really upset us was the lack of notice.

We only found out about the reshuffling during enrollment. If they had informed us months ago, at least we could've prepared ourselves or shared our concerns before the decision was finalized. Instead, classes are about to start, and we're only hearing about it now.

Our program also has a new program head, and almost immediately we're seeing major policy changes. As students, it's hard not to question whether these changes have been carefully evaluated, especially since they'll directly affect our final year.

Safety is another concern.

A lot of us commute home together every day. In today's situation, having people you trust to travel with isn't a small thing—it gives us peace of mind. Being separated from them is another unnecessary adjustment we're being forced to make.

This Monday, we're submitting a petition, and we're hoping as many students as possible will sign it because this isn't just affecting a handful of people. It's affecting a lot of us.

If the school ignores our petition, we'd like to know what the proper process is for raising our concerns to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

If anyone here has gone through something similar or knows how complaints or concerns involving private colleges are handled by CHED, I'd really appreciate your advice.

I'm honestly scared to even post this.

I'm doing this not just for myself but for my fellow students. Many students are afraid to speak up because they're worried about possible consequences or simply don't want to get involved. Whether those fears are justified or not, they're real to us, and they've discouraged many students from voicing their concerns.

We're not trying to attack our school.

We just want to be heard. We want our welfare as students to matter just as much as administrative decisions.

Any advice would mean a lot. Thank you.