Sunday, June 10, 2012

Choosing your UPCAT Review Center: A Practical Guide


It’s UPCAT season again.  Let’s say that you have a 50/50 chance of passing the UP entrance test.  In that case, the choice of an UPCAT review center can make or break your hopes of getting into UP.  The scales could tip either way.  Choose the correct UP entrance exam review center not only will you get into the premier University in the country, you [or better yet your parents] will also benefit from the significantly lower tuition rates.  Choose the wrong UP Review center and not only do you squander your chances of getting a head start, you will have also wasted a perfectly good summer.
This begs the question:  how exactly do you choose the best UPCAT review center?
Different UPCAT review centers will answer differently depending upon their strengths and weaknesses; naturally, they’ll always tell you that they are the best choice for your UP review needs.
Different criteria will also give you different answers.  Several factors that will come into play are price, proximity of UP review classes,  locations, and add-on features, etc.  These will have different weights among the parents of UPCAT takers.
The following is a discussion of the factors that you should consider if you want to increase your chances (or your child’s chances) of passing the UP entrance test.  Remember to the following tips when evaluating a potential UPCAT review center for yourself or your children:
DON’TS
The following are the factors that are rather useless when evaluating college entrance test review centers:
Passing Rate:
Don’t ever, ever, ever think that the passing rate advertised by a particular UP review center is the most important or even a trustworthy criterion for choosing your UPCAT review center.
Of course, the passing rate is important, but keep in mind that the college entrance exam review center industry here in the Philippines is unregulated by the government.  This means that UPCAT review centers can (and do) pretty much use any of the many standards used in computing passing rates.  Some review centers use a variation or one of the following:
  • number of passers in their star section over the number of students in that section
  • number of sci-hi student passers over the total number of sci hi students in all UPCAT review classes
  • number of passers from current and previous years over the number of current reviewstudents
Basically, some review centers are not above lying to entice students and their parents to enroll in their UPCAT review program.  They can actually claim any passing rate, and you will not know any better!  In fact, UP itself has posted a special notice about UPCAT Review Centers.
Unless you have counted and verified the total number of students enrolled in that center for that particular batch and unless you have counted and verified that the passers have indeed enrolled in that particular center and batch, how can you be sure that the UPCAT review center is giving you a straight answer?
Imagine 2010 presidentiables counting their own votes, he he.  Review centers counting their own passing rate is a very good example of a conflict of interest.
Years in the Business
You can easily check the number of years that an UPCAT review center has been in business.  Even if a UP review center has been around for a hundred years or so, however, what will that tell you?  Will the number of years in business be a good determinant of the effectiveness of the UP review center’s instruction?  In some cases yes, but I’ve seen review centers that have survived more than 5 years all because of its advertising base [as opposed to its quality of review].  Consider that UP itself is not the oldest university in the country, but it’s definitely the best.
Referrals vs Comparison
Most parents and students depend upon the referral of friends, relatives and even classmates/ co-reviewers when it comes to choosing their UP review centers.  When choosing among any other products or services, referrals can be very effective.  However, unless the source of referral has enrolled in or have heard about enough UPCAT review centers to make a decent comparison, don’t put too much stock on UPCAT review centers referred by friends, relatives and acquaintances.
In this sense, UPCAT review services are much like wedding photography services.  Most people will only avail of it once, which is not enough of a basis to make an informed comparison.
If you want the best UPCAT review center there is, do your own comparison shopping.  Contrast and compare the features of the different UPCAT review programs and choose what YOU think is best for you.
Titles of Instructors
Unless the instructor has been acclaimed as one of the best teachers in the Philippines, all their extra titles (e.g. PhD, M.A., M.S., Eng’r, Doctor, etc.) won’t help you pass the UPCAT.  Titles are impressive, and a lot of people put great stock in them.  Consider this, however.
Does it take a PhD or a doctoral degree to teach high school math or science effectively?
No, unless your taking the entrance exam to the nuclear quantum supergeek college in the Philippines [which doesn't exist btw].  Choose review programs with effective, engaging and creative instructors instead.  You’ll find that you’ll be able to learn more from him than that mumbling grumbling PhD professor who likes staring at the blackboard more than making eye contact with his students.  Keep in mind the ability to effectively teach students is very different from IQ.
Registration Rate
Quality costs money.  The college entrance exam review, especially the review for UPCAT, is not like some new Nike shoes that will not have any long-lasting effect in your life [unless you trip over them and fall down the stairs, breaking both your legs and busting your kneecaps].  Passing the UPCAT is more important than shoes, yet some people are willing to pay for Nike originals than a quality UP review program.
If you want quality UPCAT review classes, then don’t expect them to cost you only a few hundred pesos.  UP Free reviews exist if you want refresher courses.  However, if you want the real McCoy, pay for UP review classes.  Better yet, be prepared to shell out some hard cash for them.
Should you win a spot in UP, the college tuition savings alone will repay your small investment now a thousand fold.  So do you really want to have a better shot in getting to UP or do you want to save money?  Answer really carefully.
Review Location
The same goes for review location.  Choosing an UPCAT review center just because it happens to be conveniently located is just like choosing to give birth to a baby at home instead of going to the hospital because you didn’t want a long commute.
DO’S:
Given the lack of industry standards as well as the lack of government regulation in the UPCAT review center industry, your only hope of weeding the chaff out of the grain is to do your own research and study.  Easier said than done, you might say.  Well here are a few pointers to get you going in the right track.  Use the following criteria to choose the right UPCAT review center for you or for your child.
Review Program
Do check out the review program of the UPCAT review centers you are considering.  This is a good way of filtering out the fly-by-night, mosquito or copycat review centers in your list.  Moreover, this will also give you a good idea of the relevance and scope of the UP review program being offered.
A good review program includes not just a comprehensive and relevant discussion of the academic subjects covered in the UPCAT (namely, UP Math, UP Science, UP Reading, UP Language) but also college seminars that are relevant and helpful to students who are about to traverse several crossroads of life (how deep, he he he).  The following are some useful seminars for incoming college freshmen:
  • Career Path Seminar: This should give you an insight as to which college course is the best for you.  It takes taking into account not just future salary potential but your own strengths and weaknesses, your inclinations, your hobbies, and your interests.
  • Diagnostic and Simulation Exams: The first will give you the means to evaluate your initial chances of passing the UPCAT and how much work needs to be done in order to increase the odds in your favor.  The latter will give you your final UPCAT predicted grade as well as a glimpse on how effective the UPCAT review was for you.
In a good review program, the difference between your diagnostic and simulation exam will be large [this means that you've learned a lot during the review].  Hopefully, by the time you take your simulation exam, your review grades are hitting the 80 – 85% mark.
Watch out for review centers giving out simulation exams that are much easier than the diagnostic exam!  This should warn you that the review center is skewing its results for its own gain.
  • UPG seminar
Contrary to popular opinion, your high school grades and your UPCAT grade are not the sole factors that are considered by UP in determining whether or not you will be accepted to UP.
A lot of other factors such as your province, your family’s income bracket, your school, your course choices, your campus choices, etc. are also taken into account.  Answering these questions optimally in the first place just might give you a lot more edge over other students who have taken the summer UP review.  This is why you should look for a seminar about UPG or university predicted grade when choosing your review center.
  • Instructional or Game Type
How the review is conducted will also play a large part on whether you will learn much from the UP review classes or not.  If the classroom type/instructional method did not work for you for the previous 4 years in high school, then what are the chances that you will find the same method in a review class useful?
If you find it a lot easier to memorize Ragnarok unit stats, damage points and level up stats or if you find it easier to learn more from GKNB or Pera o Bayong than in school, then a game-type review may be a better fit for you.
  • Traditional or Peer-to-Peer
Studies show that peer-to-peer instruction is a lot more effective in learning than the traditional classroom-type review.  By peer-to-peer instruction, we mean classes that involve peer-to-peer interaction, group studies and group work.  Traditional classroom instruction, on the other hand, is teacher-focused and students are pretty much on their own.
Why is peer-to-peer more effective?  Just think.  Won’t the facts stick better when it’s your crush discussing thermodynamics with you?  Your heart will be on overdrive and your adrenalin will be pumping so chances are high that you will recall more of your lessons.  Peer to peer instruction also doesn’t have the age or status hindrance present in traditional learning settings.
This is not to say that instructors should be removed from the review program altogether, but do look for a review program that inserts peer-to-peer instruction during no-review days.
Review Materials
Do check out the quality of the review materials that are being offered by the UP review center.  More often than not, they are a reflection of how organized, comprehensive and structured the review program is.  For example:
  • Xeroxed Modules: This may be an indication that that particular review center has plagiarized the review materials of another.  It may also be an indication of a slipshod review program where modules are rife with duplicate questions, errors and typos.
  • Reviewers: The availability of original reviewers aside from the usual exam modules is an indication of a well-planned review program.  Do check if the subjects are well-summarized and organized.  You wouldn’t want to spend 6 years reading a reviewer that’s supposed to summarize your high school subjects!
  • Additional Sources: As most review classes are not held daily and you’ll have an extra day here and there for yourself, do look for review centers that includes take home assignments and quizzes as well as additional sources that will further increase the effectiveness of the review.
  • Blackboard Instruction or Presentation/Demos:  The inclusion of Demos, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on experiential learning activities, exhibits, etc. are also plus points when it comes to choosing the best UPCAT review centers.  These show that the center has taken the time, money and effort to make the review as effective, painless and interesting as possible for the students.  Moreover, with presentations, you get more value for your money as time will not be wasted waiting for the instructor to stop scribbling on the board.
Effectiveness of Instructors
At the heart of effective reviews are effective instructors.  Do they engage their students while teaching?  Do they use analogies to make the concepts simpler?  Do they make full use of illustrations, group work, etc?  Do they discipline those that are unruly in class so that learning for those that do want to learn is not compromised?
More often that not, you will be surprised at how far the actual review is from the ‘best/great/excellent review’ these centers promise in their brochures.
Length of Review
Put simply, the length of the review is usually directly proportional to the amount of learning the students benefit from.  Our research into this matter shows that it will take a minimum [note the word minimum] of 60 hours of review in order for all the pertinent subjects to be covered.  So make sure to include the length of the review in your consideration when choosing your review center.
Think of your choice of an UPCAT review center as memory pills capable of helping you prepare for your exam.  Some will have all the ads, fanfare and razzle dazzle shown in the media but prove to be actually ineffective in doing its job.  Some will be generic, cheap but just as ineffective as the best of them.  Some will be the genuine product and yet some will be like those meds given by quack doctors.  Whatever your choice may be, do tell us about how it turned out when the UPCAT results are posted. :)

The Current Most Popular College Courses in the Philippines [2011-2020]


During certain points in the school year, it’s not surprising to see masses of seniors trooping to various university campuses for the purpose of taking their entrance exams.  After all, that’s a major step in being able to attend the college of their choice.
Picking a college to attend is only half of the decision, though.  The other half involves choosing an actual course to pursue.  With the myriad of choices available, how does one narrow things down to a more manageable list?
One strategy is to find out what most college courses people are into these days.  Don’t sweat it, as we’ve compiled a helpful little list for you.  Here they are, in no particular order.

Medical Courses:

The aging population of developed countries, medical tourism and the expansion plans of developing ones have given rise to the increase in demand of health care workers.  According to the Department of Labor and Employment, the manpower request for graduates of health related courses has been steadily increasing by 2.3% yearly.
Nursing: while there seems to be a temporary surplus of nurses in the country, it is expected that the demand for graduates of this course will continue to increase within the next 10 years.
The current top overseas destination of graduate nurses are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, Kuwait, United Kingdom, US, Qatar, Taiwan, Ireland and Trinidad and Tobago.
Specialized nurses [operating, ER, anesthetic, scrub, theatre, critical care/ICU, pediatric, cardiac, burn, pediatric, oncology, catheter, and trauma] will also be in demand in European countries like Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Asian countries like Bruniei, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan on the other hand will need Dental Nurses, Chief Nurses, Head Nurses and Nurse Managers.
Other medical workers like Doctors, midwives and Physical therapists will also be in demand in countries like Poland, Belgium, Germany and Singapore.  A more detailed list of countries needing such personnel are listed below:
Medical Doctors: Australia, Korea and Saudi Arabia
Pharmacist, Orthodontists, Pediatric Technologists: Saudi Arabia and USA
Medical Technologists: Saudi Arabia, USA and New Zealand
Physical/Occupational Therapists: USA
Speech Therapists: USA
Optometrists: Oman
Male Dieticians: KSA, Qatar and UAE
Dental Lab/Dental Assts: KSA, Qatar and UAE
Medical Technicians (Bio‐Medical, Anesthetics, Laboratory, Respiratory, Emergency, Medical Gas and Medical Records): Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Microbiologists: Saudi Arabia
Caregivers: Israel, Japan, UK, Switzerland, Taiwan Belgium, Libya Macau

Education:

The growing lack of skilled educators in developed countries has also sparked the rush towards education courses.  Specially needed are elementary, secondary, science, math, physical education and childcare teachers, professors and lecturers in KSA, Libya, Seychellles, Macau, US and South Korea.

Culinary Arts and Hotel & Restaurant Management:

The rise of tourism as part of the development plan of quite a number of countries here in Asia, the Middle East and some parts of Europe has also catalyzed the demand for Chefs, tour guides, hotel mangers and other tourism related workers.  Demand for skilled workers in this area has been increasing steadily by a factor of 3.5% yearly for the past 5 years garnering a total of 160,300 manpower requests from several countries.
Top destination countries of graduates of these courses are Libya, Kuwait, UAE, CNMI, Oman, KSA, UAE, Korea, Macau, Singapore and Romania.

Banking and Finance Courses:

The increasing inter-connectedness of the global economy as well as the growth of the global financial market has also increased the demand for graduates of banking and finance graduates.  Of special mention in this category are Accounting Clerks, Bookkeepers, Auditors, Cashiers, Credit Card Analysts, Finance Analyst/Specialists, Accountants (Account Officer, Analyst), and Risk Management Officers.  These workers are in demand in developing countries and financial centers such as Libya, Kuwait, Singapore and Switzerland.

Engineering Courses:

Projects regarding megacities construction in the middle east, plans to increase manufacturing capacity, and the rise of renewable energy have all resulted to the shortage of skilled engineers worldwide.  The last 5 years alone have seen 256,000 manpower requests from different countries.  The demand for engineering graduates has been steadily increasing by 2.5% yearly.
Engineering Graduates of the following fields are poised to take advantage of this global demand:
  1. Civil Engineering: Structural, Design, Safety, Planning and Contract
  2. Electrical Engineering: Manufacturing, Construction and Renewable energy
  3. Mechanical Engineering: manufacturing, real estate and renewable energy
  4. Mining Engineering: Mining
  5. Geodetic Engineering: Mining and real estate
  6. Metallurgical Engineering: Mining
  7. Chemical Engineering: Manufacturing
  8. Industrial Engineering: Manufacturing
Top Destination countries are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Macau, Belgium, Germany, Norway and the USA.

Cyberservices:

A particularly interesting development in the most popular college courses based on global demand is in relation to cyberservices.  Demand for skilled workers in this industry has been increasing rapidly at about 6.4% yearly which is more than twice the other courses.  The last 5 years alone has seen more than 400,000 requests for manpower both locally and internationally.
In demand workers under this category are:
Creative Industries
  1. Broadcast Engineer
  2. Video Editor
  3. Video Graphic Artist (Animators)
  4. Visual Artist Designer
  5. 3D modelers
  6. 3D Artist
  7. 3D Animators
  8. Flash Animators
  9. Animation Artist
  10. Clean-Up Artist
  11. In-between Artist/In-betweener
  12. Clean-Up Art Checker
  13. In-between Checker
  14. Animation Checker
  15. Web Designer
  16. Multimedia Artist
  17. Library builder
  18. Layout artist
  19. 2D digital animator
  20. Graphic Assistants
Programmers:
  1. Java Programmers
  2. Oracle Developers
  3. Web Developers
  4. IT Programmers
  5. Software Development
  6. Computer Programmers
  7. Developer (Software, Web)
  8. IT/Information Technology (MIS Developer, Platform Engineer)
  9. Specialist (Learning Solution, System and Technical Support)
  10. Systems Analyst
Backoffice:
  1. Accountant (Back Office Processing)
  2. HR Outsourcing Specialist (Back Office Processing)
  3. Call Center Agent
  4. Medical Transcription Editor
  5. Medical Transcription
  6. Financial Accountants
  7. Technical Support Engineers
  8. Autocad Operators
  9. Legal Researchers
  10. Legal Analysts
Top Destination Countries of the graduates of these courses are:  Saudi Arabia, UAE, India, Singapore, Australia and US.
It’s All Up to You
Hopefully, I’ve gotten the gears in your mind turning.  Now that you have a more manageable list to refer to, your next order of business is to reconcile your needs and wants with what the world needs and wants.
We’ll talk a little bit more about that in another article, though.  For now, keep in mind that this list will only applicable for so long.  The world and its preferences are constantly changing, and consequently, its most popular courses will change along with it.
Source: Project JobsFit of DOLE

Top Universities of the Philippines: CHED’S Center of Excellence and Center of Development(As of Oct. 4, 2010)


According to Wikipedia:
Centers of Excellence (COEs) and Centers of Development (CODs) are higher education institutions (HEIs) both public and private which have demonstrated the highest degree or level of standards along the areas of instruction, research and extension.
University of the Philippines-DilimanCOEInformation Technology
Biology
Chemistry
Geology
Marine Science
Mathematics
Molecular Biology
Physics
Statistics
University of the Philippines-Los BañosCOEAgriculture
Agricultural Engineering
Forestry
Veterinary Medicine
Information Technology
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
CODStatistics
Environmental Science
University of the Philippines-ManilaCOENursing
Medicine
De La Salle University-ManilaCOEInformation Technology
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
Teacher Education
CODChemical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electronics & Communication Eng’g.
Civil Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Ateneo de Manila University-Quezon CityCOEBusiness Administration Education
Entrepreneurship Education
Information Technology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
CODBiology
Environmental Science
University of Santo Tomas-ManilaCOENursing
Medicine
Biology
Chemistry
Teacher Education
CODChemical Engineering
Electronics & Communication Eng’g.
Civil Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Physical Therapy
Biology
Mapua Institute of Technology-ManilaCODComputer Engineering
Electronics & Communication Eng’g.
Civil Engineering
Sanitary Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Mapua Institute of Technology-MakatiCODInformation Technology
Technological Institute of the Philippines-ManilaCODInformation Technology
Computer Engineering
Technological Institute of the Philippines-Quezon CityCODInformation Technology
Computer Engineering
Civil Engineering
Adamson University-ManilaCODComputer Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Asia Pacific College-MakatiCOEInformation Technology
CODComputer Engineering
Centro Escolar University-ManilaCODBusiness Administration Education
COETeacher Education
Far Eastern University-East Asia College-ManilaCODInformation Technology
Lyceum Northwestern UniversityCODPhamacy Education
Philippine Normal University-ManilaCOETeacher Education
University of the East-ManilaCODInformation Technology
University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Mem. Med. Center-QCCOENursing

Top Universities in the Provinces

Silliman University-Dumaguete
COE:
Nursing
Teacher Education
COD:
Accountancy Education
Information Technology
Biology
Saint Louis University-Baguio
COE:
Teacher Education
COD:
Nursing
Chemical Engineering
Electronics & Communication Eng’g.
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Accountancy Education
Entrepreneurship Education
Information Technology
Angeles University Foundation-Angeles
COE:
Information Technology
Teacher Education
COD:
Nursing
Computer Engineering
Ateneo de Davao University-Davao

COD:
Information Technology
Teacher Education
Ateneo de Naga University-Naga
COE:
Teacher Education
COD:
Business Administration Education
Entrepreneurship Education
Information Technology
Central Luzon State University-Muñoz, Nueva Ecija
COE:
Agriculture
Agricultural Engineering
Fisheries
Veterinary Medicine
Teacher Education
COD:
Biology
Chemistry
Central Mindanao University-Musuan, Bukidnon
COE:
Agriculture
Forestry
Veterinary Medicine
COD:
Biology
Mathematics
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology-Iligan
COE:
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Teacher Education
COD:
Information Technology
Physics
University of San Carlos-Cebu
COE:
Chemistry
Teacher Education
COD:
Business Administration Education
Biology
Civil Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electronics & Communication Eng’g.
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Physics
University of San Jose Recoletos-Cebu
COE:
Teacher Education
COD:
Accountancy Education
Information Technology
Industrial Engineering
University of the Cordilleras-Baguio City
COE:
Teacher Education
Criminology
Information Technology
Xavier University-Corrales Ave., Cagayan de Oro
COD:
Chemical Engineering
Electronics & Communication Eng’g.
Civil Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Agriculture
Teacher Education
****
Below are other posts in this site about the Top Universities in the Philippines according to PRC board exam passing rates per course:

Top Medical Schools [PRC]

Top Engineering Schools [PRC]

Top Engineering Schools [CHED COE/COD]

Information Technology [CHED]

Architecture

Geology

Accounting

Education [Elementary]

Education [Secondary]

Law