The Three "Muskeeters"

I put on the hat of a Student-Faculty Adviser (SFA) every enrollment. I have been doing this for almost a decade now. One of the primary objective of an SFA is to advise the students if the courses they plan to take for the upcoming term are the apt ones considering their individual academic performance last term. It's to ensure that they have a better chance of getting through the hurdle.

Last week, well, I had a moment. A heart to heart talk with students, the three musketeers :- )

I am glad that they asked the right question. The only question that really needs to be answered. Not the fear-laden request of "May I know who teaches that course at that time?" or the shortcut-tainted, "Sir, may I be included in that class?"

No. These three young lad asked, "Would you advise Sir if we should continue our studies in Mapua?"

Now, that's a question!

I asked them why they are considering a reboot of sorts of their young life. One shared that he was surprise to see that his parents have already invested close to PhP 600,000 ($15,000) and, at best, he still has two more years to go.

So, I asked, "Before I answer your question, I'd like to know what did you get out of the money invested? I mean, aside from getting a passing grade?"

To this, a moment of silence then a  pained smirk was the visual reply I got.

To this I said, "To continue your studies in a different institution is always an option. You always have that. But before you consider that, I think, it is better to ask - what do you want out of your life? A change in the environment will help, but if what you got here is not what you wanted, I hope you know what you want before you decide to transfer. Because if that is not yet pat down, clear, there's a possibility that we might find ourselves in the same situation. The only difference is that we are older. Why not consider stopping for awhile. You know, to think things over."

They stared. Took it all in.

Our 1-hour conversation took a lot of turns as they weigh on their next move.

With education showing its business colors even more prominently, students like the "three musketeers" will continue to pay until they hit the academic residency wall. They will continue to grind it out and hold on to an idea that being a graduate of Mapua will be enough to wash away all the years of confusion and of verbal abused they heard, hopefully not listened to.

My hope is that as they muddle through and soldier on, they get to know themselves better. Because that's more important than all the classes they took and passed.

"... why think like mere men?"