Last term, just before the academic year reached its conclusion, I overheard a simple argument about which college in DLSU is toughest. It was an interesting topic to argue about even if the clash was rather biased and devoid of reasonable facts. At the end of the squabble, I have to say that my ego was vouching for my college, the College of Liberal Arts.
Despite the urge to voice out my opinion, I thought it was a wiser decision to just contemplate all colleges impartially, since I have never been in the shoes of someone from School of Economics, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Science, or College of Computer Studies.
Realizing that there are no statements or rebuttals available that can fully solve the problem at hand, I just took the opportunity of noting down the rants and raves of the different personalities I met inside the University. Hopefully, the accounts I have gathered answer the question above – or spark further discussion.
Established in 2009, School of Economics (SOE) became a separate institution from the College of Business in order to create a more in-depth comprehension of economic policies bordering the fields of politics, government, and business. It houses economic majors who from what I heard, deal with a flurry of concepts regarding labor, environmental, financial, and agricultural economics with a dash of public finance among many others. To the rest of the colleges, good luck understanding what it means to be in economics.
While related to SOE, we have the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business (RVR COB) which was founded in the 1920s. With the vision of being the premier business school in the country, COB demands a lot from those who venture its many fields, ranging from accounting mods to legal works. Definitely, the work entailed of the college has its students heads over their heels.
Now we go to the College of Education (CED). CED may be the smallest college in terms of its population, but don’t let its size fool you since it trains its students to be the center of excellence in their development as educational academic leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, training to be the catalysts for the future.
Next, I venture upon Velasco Building, which houses the Gokongwei College of Engineering (GCOE). Starting out in 1947, the college has an advocacy of helping young men in assisting the country’s rehabilitation after the Second World War. With the accreditation from Southeast Asian Engineering Education Network, GCOE delivers its own sense of hardship for its constituents to maintain its consistent production of quality engineers who specialize in different fields. I doubt anyone will even consider the college to be easy after they see what the majors compute through.
More than they, I am greeted by the scientific prowess of the characters from the College of Science (COS). Instituted in 1982, COS harnesses the hidden potential of science through the innovative minds of its undergrads as they aim to become the republic’s prime source of intellectual scientists who will be devoted to the refinement of the Filipino life. If you can’t take the anatomy of an earthworm by heart, then believe it when I say that the college is not a walk in the park for anyone.
Crossing over to Gokongwei Hall, I enter the abode of the College of Computer Studies (CCS). Found in 1981, CCS caters to some of the more brilliant technological minds of the country. If you think that the college only serves as a hub for League of Legends players, let met tell you that you’re dead wrong. CCS is composed of scholars who are committed to the art of technological advancements and is a blue-ribbon tier when it comes to being an educational computer institution in Southeast Asia. With programming demands and rigorous coding processes, CCS’ academic load is not as easy as copying and pasting.
Eventually I arrive in the college where I hail from, the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). Erected in 1918, CLA hosts majority of the students in DLSU. It also garnered the reputation of having the easiest or most chill classes in the University. Personally, I tell you that this is not quite true as CLA pushes the students’ patience and challenges their limits by asking for more than what is needed of them. Grounded in social sciences and humanities, CLA undergraduates are required to urge change and reformation, and this in itself is already a trial for anyone who sets foot on the road that we take.
When it comes to comparing and contrasting the different undergraduate colleges in DLSU, the best that we can do is accept each and every one’s differences, because everyone unravels more understanding after knowing each one’s struggle, sacrifices, and efforts in their own field.
I answer the question above with a simple statement: we are all sharing the same difficulty regardless of what college we’re in, but what we make out of ourselves inside those colleges is the hardest part of the bargain. After all, we are the ones who pave the way towards our own future.
