r/UPManila

Hello meron po ba ditong interested to share a condo po, 2br sya sa Adriatico Place Residence (female po sana) for upcm students po

Hello po! I’m currently choosing between UPM, UST, and DLSU biochem for undergrad, and as of now, I am waitlisted at UPM Biochem (hopefully may maiwang slot sa akin, huhu). 

A little bit about me is that I’m interested in pursuing a research career rather than medicine, but I’m still exploring my options and want to understand the real differences between these programs beyond reputation. I’m weighing the pros and cons of the three institutions, and undoubtedly, UPM is my priority because of the free tuition but I’m also considering UST and DLSU because I applied for scholarships (yet still waiting for results). 

After researching online, this is what I learned: 
- Programs under CAS (including biochem) are experiencing conflicts in their laboratory work due to a lack of equipment in the facilities. 
- UPM biochem students lean towards theoretical knowledge and graduate as book smart because of facility conflicts.
- UPM Biochem has good performance in chemist licensure exams as the top 1 of the recent CLE is from UPM Biochem.
- UPM environment in general is taxing due to pollution, lack of nature when compared to UPD and UPLB, and the prevalence of pickpockets in the area.
- Enlistment system is frustrating and may mga pagkakataon na magbeg ang students sa mga prof na kunin sila.
- Maliit lang ang UPM, so hindi na mahirap mag-move to different classes.

P.S. These may be outdated, as the Reddit posts I’ve seen are years old, kaya I want to confirm if these are still valid today.

I’d really appreciate insights from current students or graduates from the UPM Biochem program regarding:

1. Research opportunities (Does the lack of facilities affect research opportunities? How well does UPM biochem excel in terms of research in the sciences?)
2. Internship opportunities (How competitive is it? Are there internship opportunities abroad?)
3. Academics and workload (How prone is it to get burned out?)
4. Professors and mentorship (Are profs good with the subjects that they teach? Is it relatively difficult to get a good thesis adviser?)
5. Facilities (Sapat na ba ang facilities for undergrad research or do students seek labs outside UPM to complete their theses?)
6. Career options in the Philippines and abroad (Was it difficult to find a job after graduation?)
7. Student life outside academics (May time pa ba sa extracurricular life? huhu)

Additionally, how would UPM biochem compare to UST biochem? 
I’ve attended the recent biochem program orientation at UST, and this is the info I learned:

- UST Biochem is the only Level IV PACUCOA-accredited institution in the Philippines (what does this imply?)

- The program focuses on research, exposing students as early as freshman year and providing guidance from profs aligned with their research interests.

- The student population is around 90 per year, and there are only 2 block sections, so everyone knows everyone, which becomes an advantage for student visibility and consultation with profs.

- UST has partner institutions abroad, which allow students to take their internships in Japan, Taiwan, Australia, etc. (Which may be good when seeking job opportunities after grad)

- Classes are from Monday to Saturday with a possibility na may 7AM to 7PM sched and there are quizzes almost every day.

Are these also symmetric to UPM biochem, or does the system drastically differ? Especially in terms of education and research opportunities?

Masasabi ko na I’m torn between UPM and UST biochem, and DLSU is third since, from what I’ve seen online, it leans more towards business courses, so I’m not really sure kung ano ang standing ng DLSU sa sciences.

What can you say about this po? Thank you!

Hello meron po ba ditong interested to share a condo po, 2br sya sa Adriatico Place Residence.

hello po! i'm an incoming bs pt freshie, and i just wanted to ask if the CHED Merit Scholarship applies to this program? i would also like to ask if there any other scholarships available. thanks in advance!

Do we get to choose the specific GE courses we take? And if so, what are the best courses to take as a student under CAS/DPSM? What should I not aim to take? Thanks!

hello! i'm an incoming freshie that got into pt and is waitlisted for ph.

choosing upm was a no-brainer for me; however i didn't put a lot of thought into the program i was going to pursue. i chose ph as my first-choice program mainly because i noticed that many of my high school seniors chose ph as a pre-med in up. i was also told that ph is the mt of up. now that i've had time to think about it, idk if ph is right for me mainly because i suck at chem. pinili ko maging bio core specifically because i wanted to avoid chem. i looked at the curriculum and it seems na heavy chem siya so idk if i'll survive; tho i recognize that I won't be able to avoid it forever. i know that i will encounter a lot of chem in med school. i just want to enjoy college life as much as possible and seeing how upm gets bad rep for being incredibly toxic environment-wise, i'm worried that i'll break under these factors as a probinsya girlie. but then again ph covers a wide range of topics that will undoubtedly help me in the nmat, di ko lang alam if my gwa will help HAHAHAHHA.

i looked into pt and their curriculum is less intimidating for me. i heard that camp takes care of its students well so +++points. pt is also an amazing fallback if ever i have doubts about proceeding to med. people also say that anaphy is a breeze for pt graduates in med school. however, from what i've read, it doesn't give you much of an edge sa nmat. since there will surely be chem in med school, would it be stupid to avoid it in my undergrad and prioritize my well-being, or should i just face it because at least i'll have an idea of what it would be like?

another factor that makes it hard for me to choose is the dost scholarship. ph is accredited while pt isn't. i come from a not-so-well-off family with unstable income. i know na living expenses in manila is crazy expensive and idk if we can afford it without a scholarship. my parents keep telling me na they will find a way but i don't want to be a burden. they already have to fund my sibling's college expenses.

PLS HELP ME DECIDE MALSNLASGK matagal an akong nagmuni muni about this and i need to hear others' opinions.

sorry sa lengthy post and thank you to whoever responds!!!

Hello po! Ano po mostly ang nagiging career pathways ng mga graduates po ng course na ito? Thank you po!

Usually per month how much allowance or budget ninyo for food? Siguro allowance in general considering miscellaneous expenses, transpo, etc.
Thanks mga op

hello po! incoming freshie po :)

just wanted to ask po if realistic po ung 2k weekly po na food fees and all huhu. im worried po kasi na since mataas po ang cost of living, probably the food costs as much din po. and i think wala rin pong nearby palengke—so baka sa robman din po groceries but hindi ko po sure if relatively cheaper po doon.

thank you po!

helloo!! can anyone enlighten me po with rsa? pwede bang i-defer ang return service years if sa upcm itutuloy ang medicine? ganito pa rin ba even for the incoming students ng upm? i heard po kasi na magkakaroon ng strict implementation ang rsa, wherein hindi na pwedeng pagsamahin ang service years ng undergrad at med school (like dapat tapusin muna ‘yung rsa for undergrad bago mag-proceed sa med school kahit na sa upcm naman itutuloy), is this true po? thank you!

Hi! Posting on behalf of a shy friend who’s an incoming BS Biochem freshman at UPM and is currently looking for someone willing to split expenses for a 2BR condo near the campus 🥹

She doesn’t have a specific unit yet because she wants to look together depending on the preferred condominium complex, location, and budget of whoever’s interested. Most of the places she’s checked would range around ₱14k–16k per person monthly depending on the unit and setup.

Also, if ever someone wants to share their room with another friend (like a bunk bed setup), she doesn’t mind at all! They can just split the expenses for that room among themselves. She mainly wants her own room/space for privacy and studying, while still getting condo amenities and a safer environment. Renting a studio alone is honestly more expensive than this option 😭

She’s very quiet and introverted at first, but she’s nice naman and willing to make friends. She just genuinely doesn’t know people from UPM yet, so finding possible roommates has been difficult.

If interested, feel free to message me so I can connect you with her!

hii, qualified for admission in upm so im currently trying to find a place to stay at. options as of now are in vista gl across taft and birch tower. any comments po sa mga units na yun? also, if u can recommend me other units, it would be so so appreciated

btw budget namin actually is around 18k, although yung birch tower is currently cinoconsider namin kahit 20k sha bc may kasama na din wifi and i don’t have to cross taft na since nasa p. gil side sya.