UST is not—and will never be—a “diploma mill.”
The recent “solemn investitures” in the University saw 8,000 UST graduates given the send-off, ready to face the industry, or what is ponderously called the “real world.”
These graduates had labored and toiled just to get to the pinnacle of academic life—graduation.
But UST haters dismiss the chances of UST graduates since to them, UST is a second-rate school.
Diploma mill, they say.
In an online forum on the state of tertiary education in the Philippines, one user said that the dismal showing of graduates in the professional world may be traced to the incompetence of schools where they acquired their education.
People argue that the large number of graduates in the University should show that UST is a diploma mill.
Internet users in community forums define a “diploma mill” as a “school which doles out academic degrees to a whopping number of graduates who did not receive good education and are not ready to be in the employment line.”
But UST is not a diploma mill.
One important matter that sets UST apart from other universities in the Philippines and in the other parts of the world is its capability to holistically develop its students. UST remains true to its promise of providing Catholic and world-class education to every Thomasian, an education which is at par with the education given by world-renowned schools.
Some people are blinded by unfair judgments and they fail to see that UST is an avenue where students’ talents are utilized at maximum levels and the rigorous academic requirements set by professors anchor every Thomasian on the shore of professional competency.
People’s prejudice against UST as a factory of incompetent graduates is belied by the relentless good marks of the University in state licensure examinations.
If UST is really a cog machine of incompetence, why does it always dominate the board exams in architecture, nursing, civil engineering, electrical engineering, medicine, interior design, physical therapy, pharmacy, accountancy, medical technology, chemistry, chemical engineering and other disciplines?
How in the world did incompetence produce seven topnotchers and more than a hundred Thomasians in the Top 10 list of state exams for the 2012 alone?
Take it from the Professional Regulation Commission, which has always said that UST is the best-performing private school in state licensures.
Every board exam would not be complete without a Thomasian entering the top 10 list of passers.
The University has never become lenient in transforming its stakeholders—its students—into professional individuals.
“Half-baked” graduates from a diploma mill, online haters say about UST products.
If this is true, why would around 70 topnotch companies flock to the University every year for the annual UST Jobs Fair? Would top pharmaceutical firms, engineering offices, and international banks hire half-baked graduates?
No. These companies know how Thomasians work in the professional arena, and are awed by the Thomasian marks of commitment, compassion, and competence.
To UST Batch 2013, kudos! You are now set to conquer the world. May you always be reminded of your Thomasian upbringing.
