Stream of Ry

This is a response to Jeun’s blog post. I thought this is too personal of a statement to leave in someone else’s blog.

We can only rely on our professors so much.
The rest, we have to run the extra 2 miles ourselves.

So, given that your average computer science student (if we have the same criterion for average) would not really be suitable for such work right off the bat.

The thing with most undergraduates is that they choose *not* to focus on what their careers would be like until they are on their senior levels. A lot of people choose to avoid the difficult questions in life that will really make a difference thinking that they’ll have the time to think about it later on.

The truth is, you won’t have the time unless you make the time.

I may step on some toes unintentionally, but I think this is too important a message to avoid everyone’s toes.

What I want to achieve in the department before I graduate is to encourage the other students to see how big the IT industry really is and that there is just so much to learn that you can’t afford to just sit around and wait to be spoon fed. I want UP CS Students to be a different kind of UP graduate. One that does not wait for opportunities but make opportunities themselves.

Computer Science is not just about algorithms, web applications, programming or whatnot.

It’s about solving problems.
It’s about making lives easier.
It’s about helping people.

And I think a lot of us look at CS too closely that we lose sight of the big picture. And this is what I want to leave among my peers.

And I’ll do it one person at a time.

This came in from the CS Network mailing list:

[start message]

Things you need to know about the new registration process in the College of Engineering (effective Nov. 4, 2009):

• All registration activities (except Validation at the Eng’g Lib Entrance) will be transferred to the 3rd floor of the College. This means ALL BOOTHS (e.g. Info booths, releasing) can now be found at the 3rd floor.
• Nobody is allowed to enter the Administration Office regardless of reason. All inquiries must be coursed through RegCom only.

General Steps:

1. Proceed to the Regcom Central Station found at the 3rd floor lobby (in front of the Engineering Theatre) to check eligibility. A bulletin board containing information on student eligibilities will also be present.
2. If eligible, claim Form 5A at your respective departments and go on with your registration as before.
   If ineligible, you will be forwarded to one of the Regcom Satellite Rooms (see below)
3. You will be asked to present your I.D. together with pertinent documents to clear your ineligibility in the aforementioned rooms.
4. Wait in the room while Regcom processes your clearance in the Administration office.
5. You will then either be given Admin clearance (meaning you can already proceed with your enrolment) or a slip which indicates that your ineligibility has not been settled yet. With the latter case, you will be instructed by Admin as to your next step (e.g. submit more documents, file for an appeal etc.)

Regcom Satellite Rooms
Room 318-320 — Cases: Loans, Underassessment, Extension of Contract, Shifting/Non-Majors, F-137
Room 313-315 —  Cases: LOA, AWOL, Transferees, Ineligibility due to Grades (eg. only 2 units passed, did not satisfy 50% rule)
Room 314-316 — Cases: Issues on Graduating Status, Signing of Contracts, Readmissions to the College and University

Other Rooms to Remember:

• Room 305-307 – Releasing of COGs, TCGs, Certifications
• Room 306-308 – Application of COGs, TCGs, Certifications; Submission of forms such as Waiver and Overload; Permit for Removals; Certification of Form 5
• Room 309-311 – Regcom Headquarters; Form 5 station

Final Reminders:

1. Please bring your I.D.s during registration. You will definitely need them. If your ID is lost, your latest Form 5 will suffice.
2. Processing of ineligibilities in the respective rooms will be done on a first-come-first-served basis so be early.

**We apologize for the short notice but rest assured that Regcom is always trying its best to ensure that everyone enjoys a smooth registration experience this second semester.
-Regcom and the Office of the College Secretary

[end message]

Since tomorrow is enrollment time (again), here’s the steps on how to enroll (in case some of you forgot or I forget XD):

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“It looks like I won’t graduate on time.”

I see / hear it on a regular basis, be it from friends or strangers.
You see, in UP, especially in the College of Engineering, not a lot get to graduate on time.

That extra year entails additional cost of living, making you a liability to the family income and is generally viewed as “a waste of time”. That whole “waste of time” thing merits its own blog post but the crux of my opinion about it is that there is no such thing as a waste of time if you spend it as you see fit AND learn from it. It still amazes me how some people can say that they don’t have enough time for academics but in retrospect, they spend ALL of their free time playing games and in social networking sites.

If you look at that extra year as time to explore more before you graduate, then all is not lost. After all, only few have an idea how different life is between being an employee/employer and being a student and I daresay that a lot of employees sometimes wish that they had the luxury of being students again.

As I said a lot of times to people who feel bad about not graduating on time:

It is not about graduating on time. It is about graduating when you are ready.

After all, oftentimes we fail because we have not yet understand the subject matter fully. I should know, I dropped Math55 the first time I took it.

Since it’s troublesome to ask everyone for their individual emails, I put it here.

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