Some seniors may already be eager to leave the classroom to venture into the corporate world without realizing, perhaps, that this will be their final chance to enjoy the life of being a student.
“You will miss UST when you graduate. Six or seven months from now you will want to come back,” UST historian and alumni Jose Victor Torres said.
But before the graduating students march up the stage to receive their diplomas, which will mark the end of their college days, there are places and things that they should get a taste of first during their life a UST student.
“There are a lot of things that have to be experienced in the campus before one graduates,” Torres told the Varsitarian.
Enumerating a few of these things, three Thomasians shared what they think a Thomasian must try or should have gone through before he finally graduates from the University.
Take a stroll around the campus. Part of being a student of any school is having knowledge of the school’s hangouts, canteens and places to get resources for research from. Although it seems impossible, there had been students who graduated without ever setting foot in the library or the UST Museum. Exploring the campus grounds will help you find more things about the University. In the course of your wandering, you might discover shortcuts such as the one at the right side of the Santisimo Rosario chapel that leads to the botanical garden. You might also see ghosts or experience supernatural occurrences when you try to roam around the main building in the evening.
“Always try to go around UST. Visit the places that you have never been in. There are students who only get to tour the campus when they have PE classes,” Torres said.
Go star-gazing at the football field. When you happen to walk around the football field at night, you might notice the groups of students or couples huddled together. That is because, despite the clouds caused by the city’s pollution, the night sky adorned with distant stars is a sight to behold when you are lying in the grass with your friends. Having someone play the guitar would also make the experience all the more unforgettable, suggested Carlo Matignas, a batch 2007 graduate of BS Information Management. The act might strike as corny for some but for many, it is a time they can look back on in the future.
“My friends and I were a bit tipsy when we went to the field to gaze at the stars. We were so noisy but since the field was huge, nobody minded us. It was fun,” said Matignas.
Eat out. If you are looking for a place to eat other than the usual fast food chains, better ask the seniors where you can find a good meal or the best servings of street food. Chances are, they already know where the best-tasting sisig is served or where you can eat to your stomach’s content for half the price of a fast food meal.
But, if in your four or five years in the University you have lived only on fast food, now is probably the time to lay off the preservatives and open your taste buds to the home-cooked meals of canteens like Mang Tootz in P. Noval St. or Hapag Kainan in V. Concepcion St. Or if you have less time in between classes to eat, the street food haven along Asturias St. will satiate your appetite in bite-sized servings.
For those who want to maximize their time, there are some shops where you can buy burgers and shakes from open-air shops while you are having your readings photocopied.
“Fast food has always been part of a student’s life but the eateries and street food beyond the fast food, I think, has always been a part of being a Thomasian,” Torres said.
Salute to the University Hymn. When you were in freshmen and you were taught the UST cheers by members of the Yellow Jackets during you PE class, you were probably one of the many who were clueless on what to do when the UST Hymn was played and everyone was starting to do the clench-fisted salute. If not, then you will still get the chance to do the hand gesture on your graduation day.
“The act of collective salutation while the UST Hymn is being somehow boosts school spirit because the school appears to be united,” an officer of the Faculty Arts and Letters’ theater organization and fourth year Communication Arts senior Michelle Ngu said.
Climb the top of the Main Building. Ever wanted to take pictures near the martyrs at the roof of the Main Building, but you were afraid you won’t be allowed to? The good news is you can climb up the roof deck and enjoy the view of the campus from the top of the earthquake-proof building. The bad news is that’s as high as you can go because the tower is said to be unstable and is bound to crack anytime.
Brave the university flood. Among many things, UST is famous for the floods around its whenever heavy rain falls. Almost everyone in the University has his or her own stories to tell when asked to share about the flood.
Although the rainy season is over, Torres, Ngu and Matignas all agreed that every Thomasian must have experienced struggling to get in and out of the island that is their school.
“What you thought was an ongoing joke in your freshmen year about the UST flood is true and you will experience it. It was both annoying and funny,” Ngu said.
If you are a graduating student, these are just a few of the things you can do, if you have not done them already, to make the most out of the few weeks you have left in the University.
But more than landmarks to visit, meals to try and things to do, what most Thomasians will really miss about UST is the feeling of being a Thomasian. J.J.L. Ignacio
