Sunday, February 28, 2010
{ 10:37 PM }
So as some of you may have known, I attended the Ateneo JGSOM Open House today. And while I'm definitely more enlightened about my course, as well as what JGSOM has to offer prospective freshmen like me, it just made the "elimination process" so to speak, a little more difficult.
I like their approach, how they really make you feel like you belong, and how qualifying for JGSOM makes you somewhat special (I'm NOT saying that Ateneo students from other college's aren't, I guess it's just their style of letting incoming freshmen feel more welcome). Dean Ang was effervescent, dynamic, witty, and definitely charismatic, so the plenary introduction just became a lot more interesting. It made me feel like I want to be taken under his wing, because he was just that intelligent, I guess. The feeling of, "I want to be like these people!" just exuded through me.
I also enjoyed the demo classes and the course orientation (I took up Law and Marketing for the demo classes; I was supposed to go for Legal Management and Comtech Management for the course orientations, in case I probably wanted to shift to Legal Management, but I ditched the former anyway and just attended Comtech, because my mom was getting restless, and both of us were hungry).
More than that, I really took Dean Ang's words to heart. The matter of choosing a school, or a program, he said (and I'm just paraphrasing here; it's not like I have a photographic memory), wasn't a matter of what was prestigious, but by asking yourself (myself, apparently) three questions -- who you are today; who you want to be in the next 4-5 years; and what school would best help you reach your dreams. It might have just been clever propaganda or whatnot, but he didn't dismiss the possibility that your ideal school might not be Ateneo. He said that the best school for you may not be the best school for the person beside you, because we all have our own talents and strengths.
Since I was with my parents, my mom and my dad didn't really have much of a clue what Communications Technology Management was all about. My mom was like, "Baka naman sa call center bagsak mo niyan!" because of what the name suggested (No offense meant to people who work in call centers), and thought that it was more of IT (which was technically, half-correct). My dad thought it was just a fancier version of Mass Communication (also half-correct). And I myself, wanted to know exactly all about this course I had passed. (Funny, right? Well, Tita Daisy recommended I go for this course instead of AB Comm when I filled out my application form for Ateneo last year, plus I jokingly told my friends that I applied for this because JGSOM is the best building in Ateneo.) So my mom whispered to me during the talk and asked me, "Your dad's wondering why you didn't go for Journalism", since they found out that my course was strictly speaking, a management course. I just shrugged my shoulders, but I have to say, they seemed pretty enticed about the whole JGSOM deal.
After the talk, my mom asked me "Magm-management ka? May business acumen ka ba?" since it's really no secret that Jonathan's the really business-inclined in the family. Ever since we were little kids, it's already been evident in him that he inherited my lolo's "gift" for money-making. Plus he really wants to take up business related courses, having passed Interdisciplinary Business Studies in DLSU. I kind of thought about that after my mom said that. I've never really seriously considered business or careers similar in nature (though it's kind of in the blood, along with medicine), until I passed Comtech Management in Ateneo. But to think about it, the program that Comtech Management offers basically sums up my interests-- communication, technology, and err-- management? =)) Plus, I used to complain about my NCAE results, which gave me Analytical, and Artistic. I was arguing that I should have gotten Social, which was something I got very high in (probably third, I'm guessing? but they don't put the third result in). To think about it, business requires analysis. And creativity is heavily required to create innovations in business. And I don't need the NCAE to know I'm a social person. :P And when Dean Ang was giving the lowdown on their programs, two courses that really caught my attention were BS Management-Honors, and BS Comtech. Communications Technology Management also suits the career lineage I'm inclined to -- Advertising, Marketing, and Communications.
During the program orientation as well, the program director observed that "artistas" take their courses, such as Quark Henares, Karylle, and Miguel Escueta, because the course is related to AB Communication, but are forced to transfer because of pressure from parents for a more practical course. Kind of sounds like me, heh. Sans the fact that I'm a celebrity (I WISH. HAHA).
Seems like a done deal, right? But I just feel scared, scared that I would even excel in this. What if I don't succeed? And while I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea of going abroad, I know that I have to. Would I get a decent job when I'm abroad? If I were an ME or Management-Honors student, most likely, but with Comtech? I'm not so sure. When they showed the video of their many graduates who had gone abroad with stable jobs, most of them I observed, were Management Engineering and Management-Honors graduates.
Ohhhh the choices. Decision-making time. Damnit.
I had to remind everyone not to eat too much fishballs, because we had food inside the house. Then we had to blow our candles like little kids. :)) I was starting the birthday song by singing it myself, then my friends laughed at me because I seemed desperate. =)) My birthday candles were already lit and I had to wait for everyone to gather, and they were melting really fast. But at least I got to blow them in time. :P