After not receiving an e-mail from National University (NU) and being waitlisted at University of Santo Tomas (UST), I have been eagerly searching for schools where I could take an entrance exam and potentially where I could study. I have come across University of the East— Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center (UERMMC), Trinity University of Asia (TUA), Chinese General Hospital Colleges (CHGC), and Manila Central University (MCU), schools that are specializing medical courses. I was confused where to go since if I’ll chose one of the schools I’ve mentioned, I have no one to be with.
One day, Sophia and Denise asked me where I would study and I replied that I still have not passed any entrance exams. They told me why not take an entrance exam at Far Eastern University (FEU). They also told me that the exam was easy and they passed it and when they took it around September, when the university advertised in our school. They already even have reserved their slots. So, when I went home, I filled out the online application form. Tyrese sent me a chat that she will also take the FEUCAT. Then, we decided on the date when we are going to take the exam together.
Fast forward to March 24, 2019, which was our scheduled day of FEUCAT, I woke up at 4 am since we agreed to meet at 7 Eleven at 5 am. Josel also went with us since Sophia and Denise cannot go with us. We bought some things then, we were sent by Mama to the highway where we rode the bus going to Avenida. While on the bus, we were just chitchatting. Tyrese read again the confirmation letter she received from FEU and realized that we should have paid before the entrance exam. From that moment, we felt nervous thinking what if we could not take the test and our efforts will be wasted. We were not able to sleep even how sleepy we were. That was my first time riding a public bus, and it was memorable.
We reached the terminal at almost 7 am. We went straight to FEU to ask if we could pay at the cashier. The guard asked for our confirmation letter. We said we did not have one since we have not paid yet. He asked us if we already have our Admission Contact Number and we said yes. He replied that we could just pay later at the proctor of the test. So, we left first to eat. As we walked through the sidewalks of Morayta and Recto looking for Mc Donald’s, I saw lots of homeless people, sleeping on card boxes. I asked myself, “Can you get used to seeing this sight every day?” I honestly felt sad for the state of their lives. When we saw that Mc Do is not open yet, we just opted for Jollibee. After eating a burger and fries, we went back to FEU; that was almost 8 am.
When we were about to enter the Admissions Building, we bid farewell to Josel for a while. He told us that he would be going somewhere within the vicinity. As we went inside, we felt really nervous and did not know what to do. So we asked one of the personnel and he instructed us to go to the 2nd floor where the test will be held. We went to the testing area and saw two rooms where the examinees go. The first one is for those who have registered and paid and the second one was for those who have not either registered or paid. So, Tyrese and I entered the second room and surrendered our IDs. The room was surrounded by computers; they actually call it a Tech Room. Then, we were instructed to put our bags on the racks and choose our own seat as long as it one seat apart from other examiners. Not long after, we were oriented about the FEU College Admission test. The test booklets and the answer sheets were distributed afterwards. We have 2 hours and 30 minutes to finish the test
When I was answering the first part, which was Filipino, I told myself how could these questions be so easy? I told myself to not be so confident since the next parts might be harder. Then, I reached English; still easy for me. It included topics that I expected to be in entrance exams such as vocabularies, spotting the mistake, and reading comprehension. While I was shading the answer sheet, one of the proctors collected our payments. He was actually really kind and tactful. At that time, I felt relived since I am now paid.
Next was Mathematics. I felt confident while answering it. I thought at first they were not going to give us scratch paper so I used my receipt to write my solutions. After a while they distributed two sheets of paper to each of us. Most of the topics were basic Math, lessons that have been tackled in Junior High School, or even Elementary.
Afterwards was Science. I am more familiar with the questions in this section more than in the Science part of the other entrance exams that I took. They were not really an alien language to me. The last part was logical reasoning. The questions that were asking about the sequence or series were not hard. The part where it asked about the phase of an object was hard for me. I am definitely not good with visual tests.
After almost one and a half hours, I finished the test. When I looked at Tyrese, she was also done. Since I got bored, I made a paper airplane using my scratch paper. Couple of minutes has passed, we were asked if were done, we could already submit our test booklets, answer sheets, and scratch paper. I really felt shameful and embarrassed due to my crumpled scratch paper.
Next was Mathematics. I felt confident while answering it. I thought at first they were not going to give us scratch paper so I used my receipt to write my solutions. After a while they distributed two sheets of paper to each of us. Most of the topics were basic Math, lessons that have been tackled in Junior High School, or even Elementary.
Afterwards was Science. I am more familiar with the questions in this section more than in the Science part of the other entrance exams that I took. They were not really an alien language to me. The last part was logical reasoning. The questions that were asking about the sequence or series were not hard. The part where it asked about the phase of an object was hard for me. I am definitely not good with visual tests.
After almost one and a half hours, I finished the test. When I looked at Tyrese, she was also done. Since I got bored, I made a paper airplane using my scratch paper. Couple of minutes has passed, we were asked if were done, we could already submit our test booklets, answer sheets, and scratch paper. I really felt shameful and embarrassed due to my crumpled scratch paper.
The FEUCAT was composed of:Filipino- 15 questionsEnglish- 50 questionsMath- 30 questionsScience- 20 questionsLogical reasoning- 15 questionsTotal: 150 questions
After finishing the test, Tyrese and I left the room. We went downstairs and waited for Josel. We had a campus tour looking through the buildings and the court. Comparing it to UST, it is much smaller. But I felt that this university suits me better. It is smaller, less people, more intimate. The campus is actually clean and mostly green. I am not only referring to the paint around the school but to actual trees. The technology of their cashier seems advanced. There are TV screens hanging; it seems better than banks. Oh, I almost forgot. This would not be the campus where I will be studying. The Institute of Nursing is in another campus, few blocks away. After a while, we left FEU and wet to Gateway Mall and Mega Mall to eat lunch and to pass time. After that, we went home.
Way back September, I received an FEU lanyard for answering a question when they advertised in our school. At that time, I gave the lanyard to my brother since I believed that I am not going to study at FEU. Now, I asked him to return it to me since I would have to use it very soon. I have never imagined in my whole life that I will be studying at FEU. At least, I can now feel relieved that I can now enroll to a university. It might not be my dream university, but I am glad it opened a door for me. This would now be the last College Admission Test that I took. I am proud to say I am a FEUture Tamaraw.
P.S. The day after the exam I received an e-mail stating that I passed the exam.
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