Comparisons

Yeah, back in Dumaguete, and will be facing the inevitability of starting the yearly grind that has been a part of my life for the past 15 or so years. Nothing fancy really, just this new system of enrollment that is a bit better than years before. Supposedly...

Let me break it down for you. (This is what happens at the History-Political Science Department)
BEFORE:
1) Pay to the Business and Finance office your deposit of at least P6,500 to get your enrollment form.
2) Go to your adviser for advice on what subjects you can take.
3) Go to your college and choose from a list what subjects you have to take, according to your curriculum, of course. (And this is provided you have passed all your subjects the previous semester)
4) Let one of the "friendly" encoders supplied by the University make a printout of your schedule.
5) Back to your adviser for verification.
6) Pay A/S Council Fee. (Which I believe is a highway robbery in broad daylight, if you ask me.)
7) Proceed to A/S Dean for signature.
8) Proceed to get your class cards from the "friendly" staff of the University.
9) Get your I.D. validated.
AND YOU'RE DONE!

THIS YEAR:
1) Pay P6,500. (If you can't cough up that amount, I am sorry to say, you will have to bleed for it.)
2) Show your "OK for Enrollment" receipt to the "friendly" Encoding Section staff for your priority number.
3) If you're number is up, proceed to the computer room to verify your schedule. (Because apparently, the secretary of your Department has encoded it. The helpful Ma'am Perla from my Department has done it already, but upon checking my account, the schedule she made for me just wasn't there. Who knows what happened.)
4) If your schedule was encoded and you're satisfied with your schedule, you can get your printout.
5) Pay your college fees.
6) Dean for verification.
7) Stamp "ENROLLED."
8) ID validation.
AND YOU'RE DONE!

The International Christian University (ICU) way. (As narrated to Fred Carnice).
1) I didn't have to pay, because I was a scholar! But if you are paying, ICU gives you how much you have to pay for this year, say, 2.2M Yen. Just pay at your bank and ask for a draft, payable to ICU.
2) On Enrollment Day, go to the Computer Centers. Type your user name and password. Select your subjects and get your first printout.
3) Go to your adviser and have him sign it.
4) Back to the Computer Center for verification.
AND YOU'RE DONE! Then, next day is class. (Bummer!)

Another great thing about ICU is, if you want to add/drop subjects, you just go to any computer and do the process again, but this time choose add/drop. (By the way, we only had two (2) weeks for adding/dropping. You cannot drop/add after those two weeks, and you're stuck to that class until the term is over.

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I applaud the people behind this great idea to make enrollment online. It's hassle-free for the students.

But when glitches like a sudden printing of schedule without the actual pressing of the "PRINT" button locks up my account, the PABX system of Silliman is "suddenly"not working, and I have to work up a sweat to unlock my account, go to the Physics department to request for another Physics 25 section be opened (but the f*cking PABX of Silliman - which I believe is top-of-the-line, continues to be f*cked up) and I have to walk all the way again to the EDP center because I was asked by the secretary of the Physics department to tell those guys to increase the enrollees to 45 instead of 30 (I have a lot of respect for utility men, but I was no student assistant that they can order around - and I made sure she knew that!). I ended up doing all of these to get my shitty little piece of paper!

And when I got to the "ENROLLED" stamp section, I was told that I still needed those window envelopes! Can't Silliman just frigging provide those P8 envelopes! Salamabit! I am paying a lot of shit to Silliman since my ADF was increased to the level of a freshman, when in fact I should be given the chance to pay a lower ADF since I have overstayed my expected date of graduation. (No fee increase my ass!)

This is not hassle-free at all!

But since this is the first time, I will forgive Silliman for their shortcomings.

Oh well. On to better things...