UP students explore school break options

SCHOOL is out at the University of the Philippines (UP) and students are scrambling for ways to spend their two-month break.

Over 1,200 students at UP College Cebu are on their first school break since the state university changed its academic calendar to August-May from the previous June-March.

Vincent Pakson, an incoming 3rd year Computer Science student, said the calendar shift has opened up opportunities for them.

“My classmates and I are joining Accenture’s Program the Future competition. The shift is our biggest advantage as our competitors (from other schools) have class,” he said.

Program the Future is a national app-making contest by Accenture. Teams from various universities are challenged to develop either game apps or breakthrough software to win a cash prize of P100,000.

“I really feel like we have a big chance and the money at stake is really motivating our team to work harder,” said Pakson.

Other students are undergoing internship in local businesses and organizations and even overseas.

Shannon Bering, an incoming 4th year Computer Science major, is in Leiden City in the Netherlands for an internship program with Secure Design Webdevelopment through Appsterdam.

Appsterdam is an international organization in Amsterdam that supports independent application creators and is considered a haven for developers everywhere.

“I feel honored to be in this internship. The academic shift has allowed me to explore more options. My internship inspires me to develop my skills in designing and coding for real people, which I have looked forward to the most,” said Bering.

Aside from the University of the Philippines system, other institutions that have shifted their academic calendar to August-May are Ateneo de Manila University, University of Santo Tomas and San Beda College./Juli Ann M. Sibi UP Cebu Intern