Law School Noob: [FEATURE SERIES] Preparing for UPCAT: How to manage post-UPCAT blues (part 3 of 3)

Thursday, August 23, 2018

[FEATURE SERIES] Preparing for UPCAT: How to manage post-UPCAT blues (part 3 of 3)

Ask previous takers of the UPCAT, and more than likely, they'll have a story or two to tell about how things went that fateful day. You'll see that UPCAT definitely left a lasting imprint on them, regardless of whether they passed or not. This basically shows that UPCAT is, indeed, quite an experience by itself.

RELATED: How to ace the UPCAT and other college entrance tests (CETs) in the Philippines: An introduction

Once you're done with the UPCAT, you will definitely have an UPCAT story of your own. So relish the experience. Make the most out of it. Most importantly, have the right attitude in dealing with the experience. Here's how:

1. Don't beat yourself up.

It's over, it's done. There's no point wallowing in despair over something that's considered part of the past. Instead of indulging in a profound sense of ennui -- which to be honest has very little utility value, if at all -- it is best to look back at UPCAT as a unique learning experience from which you can draw valuable lessons.

Consider that UPCAT is often the first college admission test graduating senior high school students take (usually in September), so much so that it serves as an effective springboard to help you get better at the other college admission tests you will be taking down the line.

Note of your mistakes and lapses in habit, if any, and learn to correct them in your other college entrance tests.

2. Relax.

After the UPCAT, it would be inevitable to hear other exam takers talking about the questions in the exam and their respective answers. Here's a tip: don't let their discussions get to you or intimidate you or make you feel bad about yourself in any way. Chill. You may have doubts about your performance in the UPCAT, but allowing yourself to fall prey to self-pity is a doubly useless exercise.

Instead, calm your nerves by doing something that relaxes you. For some, this may mean debriefing with their friends or families. Give yourself the chance to verbalize your thoughts and feelings about the UPCAT. Doing this will undoubtedly unburden you from needless baggage.

For others, relaxing means indulging in something they consider a good thing. This could mean pigging out, or taking a long sleep, or feasting on ice cream, or having a massage, or listening to music.

But in all these, do not fall trap to complacency. Keep your chin up, the battle isn't over yet. There are more college entrance tests to conquer.

3. Let go.

The only thing you can do at this point is wish for the best and wait long agonizing months before the UPCAT results are released sometime in April of the next year. Let go. Breathe.

Focus on the rest of your senior high school year and make it the best year ever. After all, it's your last year as a high school student before finally entering the brave new world of college. Make the most out of it.

In conclusion, don't let UPCAT get the better of you. Gain control of the entire thing. Avoing stressing out if it can be helped.

You got this, fam. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

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Previously in the PREPARING FOR THE UPCAT series:

LAW SCHOOL LIFE

The real score on law school and alcohol

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Should law students take a leave of absence until the COVID-19 pandemic ends?

For many, the abrupt shift to digital learning due to the pandemic is a novel concept that is particularly difficult to adjust to. This is more pronounced among law students, where daily physical interactions with classmates and professors are necessary in fostering a robust academic experience [. . .]

So you took the Bar Exams and failed. Now what?

Failing the Bar constitutes an abysmal point in any law graduate's life. It can trigger a lot of negative things, which is why it is very important that Bar examinees should have a support system to cling on to in the event of failure [. . .]

Bar review season pitfalls and tips to make reviewing for the Bar Exams less stressful

The Bar Exam review season is when reviewees try to conjur everything they have learned in law school and condense everything into neat mental folders easily retrievable when needed. Doing so requires focus, concentration, determination, and wise use of resources, particularly time and money [. . .]

The lowdown on law school entrance exams: Top 3 law schools in the Philippines

The top three law schools in the Philippines by reputation, quality of their alumni, and passing rate in the Bar exams are the College of Law of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, the Ateneo School of Law in Makati, and the College of Law of the San Beda University in Manila. Each year these schools manage to attract graduates from all over the Philippines. As such, competition for slots in any of these schools is intense [. . .]

The Filipino law student's guide to scoring law textbooks on the cheap

Law books are often thick and heavy tomes of specialized legal information, mostly annotations of laws or statutes with a discussion of existing jurisprudence. They can be very intimidating. Even worse, they are bound to punch a gaping hole in your wallet [. . .]

To digest or not to digest -- that's the question

Relying on digests spares one the trouble of having to go through the case itself, identifying relevant facts, determining key issues, and analyzing the court's rationale in coming up with its decision [. . .]