The School Outside the Walls

University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila and De Lasalle University – who are still unfamiliar with these names?
Every year, hunting for a good college is but a common craze for every student in the Philippines. Young people have filled their minds of idealistic college lives, and so they want to spend it in a prestigious university. Apparently, these universities always come to their minds first, probably followed by the University of Sto. Tomas (UST), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Far Eastern University (FEU), and the like.
But why is it?
The area of Metro Manila is almost crammed with different universities and colleges, which have mushroomed from different spots in the place. Most of them are named after a certain saint or some heroes a long time ago. Interestingly, some of these universities near Intramuros, such as the Lyceum of the Philippines and the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, have maintained their nostalgic environment. They always refresh the people’s memories of our country’s history.
However, schools, a lot like people, also have their own “personalities”. Aside from their individual “missions and visions”, they also have their styles and their own designs. These schools also come with different sizes!
Also near the Intramuros area is a school that is not so known to many. Some are familiar with the paper it publishes, but oftentimes they still ask, “Does it really have a school?”
The school is The Manila Times School of Journalism. Take out the “School of Journalism”, and that is the only name familiar to most of the people.
Established on October 11, 1898, the Manila Times has since been a witness to, and a part of the Philippine history. The Manila Times School of Journalism was instituted sometime in 2003. It is located at the fourth floor of the Manila Times building at 371 A.Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila.
Its aged façade shows how long this building has been at service. People may see it as a small and old building. It may not look as something very competitive against other colleges because of its population of less than a hundred, but this has gained some advantages. With all its facilities, such as the television studio, video cameras and radio booth, the students have their hands-on training.
Of all the existing schools in our country, few are only offering a specialized course, and this could be a plus factor for a student’s training. A person’s prestige and success do not depend on what school he graduates from, but on how he is trained and on how he used his training after he gets out of school.