This is the building for the graduate school in UST, but this also seems to be a popular venue for…read moreevents not necessarily related to the graduate school. I am not a UST graduate, but I have attended two conferences here - one, a campus journalism conference, and another a religious studies conference on South and Southeast Asia. The latter I attended to cover the event. They have quite a spacious auditorium. On the two events I attended, we were definitely more than 100, maybe even 200. They have quite comfy seats, too. Combine that with the airconditioning and it can quite be tempting to doze off if you're not alert. Since the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex (TARC) building is basically for graduate students, of course there are classrooms there. These are what we used for the breakout small group sessions after the plenary sessions in the auditorium. TARC is thus ideal for conferences with plenary and breakout sessions.

I'm a frustrated artist, and if there weren't so much of a stigma about being an artist for a…read moreliving - the expensive materials, being poor, etc. - I could've taken the plunge and took up Fine Arts myself. But because I didn't follow my dreams (I ended up becoming a teacher, which was good enough for me), I have to be satisfied with just admiring UP Diliman's College of Fine Arts (Bartlett Hall) from the outside, while riding the Ikot jeep. PROS: From the façade itself, you could see incredible works from the students. The Freedom Wall hosts a variety of murals that changes a few times during the years. My favorites would be the works of the Artist Circle fraternity and sorority; Ever noticed their sculpture garden? It just looks like a vacant lot but you could see scattered pieces of art like it's no big deal. Abueva's Bridges of Love just takes my breath away. CONS: You may find the place teeming with "misunderstood, pa-cool" art students, but don't feel intimidated. Everyone's really nice, just get to know them better. TL;DR: FA takes seriously the pledge that art is for the masses - exposed, accessible, and for everyone - not inside exclusive galleries exclusively for the eyes of rich patrons.

One might wonder why it's called the "Old Lib", but that's simply because there's a newer Rizal Lib…read moreavailable in the Ateneo campus that was opened last 2009. That doesn't mean the old library isn't used anymore, far from it! Many things are housed in over there, such as the older book collections that require extra care, or the microfilm section where you can view old newspapers all the way up to the early 20th century. There's also the American Collections section, and there's always a collection of art featuring artists such as Fernando Zobel. There are also exhibits featuring a wide range of topics such as Ancient Chinese Maps in relation to the Spratly Islands to the superstitious beliefs of Philippine culture. From a student's point of view, the old lib is a great place to catch a snooze in between classes, or even cram that paper that's due in an hour. I love holing up in the Filipiniana section to escape the noisy cafeteria and study halls.

With significantly less than 500 students in the campus, Kalayaan College evokes a sense of…read moreintimacy between its fellow students, faculty and staff. Once notorious for college drop-outs, KC has revamped its style and has become more active in the field of Journalism, Arts, Political Science, HRM and even Business Management. As the heads of the school continue to update its curriculum with modern styles of teaching and its faculty with younger, less jaded professors, the school is gaining momentum as a hip "boutique" college where the feeling of belonging to a community is more present than in other bigwig universities. The school is also more open to students including those with special needs and integrating them in the traditional class set-up as so not to ostracize. They are also more open to tattoos, long hair and dreads, young mothers and returning students no matter what age (I've had classmates of over 40 and 50 years old and nobody seemed to mind). One star less because of the unreliable wi-fi.

There's been a time when UP had "quota" and "non-quota" courses. Students wanting to get into the…read moreuniversity would strategize how their four course choices and two campus choices would give them an optimal chance to get a slot in the school. Fortunately, an applicant's acceptance into UP doesn't rely on choosing/not choosing a popular course anymore as they have changed that system. It still applies though, that if someone tells me that his or her course is molecular biology and biotechnology (MBB), my eyes grow wide with amazement because I had this freshman impression that it was a TRIPLE-quota course. It was reinforced all the more when I got to visit the place one time. PROS: It's within this science and technology complex part of the university. It still has a lot of idle land around and you could see the vacant lots surrounding it. But it just emphasizes the imposing structure as something straight out of Star Trek or something. It's an impressive white building with glass and wooden accents; The inside is even more impressive. It has modern touches missing from most UP institutions, some abstract paintings, and wide space for its halls; It is declared a Center of Excellence and houses the Philippine Genome Center. Like, are you even for real? CONS: During the times you're inside, it's eerily quiet and a little scary, tomb-like even. It's like I'd see some Splice-like creature walking if I go inside one of the labs. TL;DR: The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology is one of the most impressive buildings and institutions I've seen inside UP-Diliman.

The hospital building is not that impressive but for its size, this hospital is fairly competitive…read morein terms of medical service delivery. On the three or four times we have been to their ER with minor emergencies, the staff was perfectly able to cope. I do notice that the staff deal especially well with pedia patients. They don't exactly make a big deal out of it, but doctors and nurses alike take the time to engage with pedia patients and I have never observed any attitude when a kid cries or struggles during a pin prick, or if you need help with changing the linens. They do lack sophisticated medical equipment and their roster do not include a lot of specialists but they have the basic areas covered.

Just like CAL, UP Diliman's College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD)'s building is…read morefairly new. Understandable, as compared to the other UP colleges, CSWCD is a fairly new addition to the academe as well since it was just established as a college in the late 90's. PROS: This is a college *literally* teaching you how to help other people, be a better individual as a whole, and helping out and giving back to society. Consistently, I've also had the pleasure of meeting some of the best, most brilliant, and honorable people I know; The building itself is quite accessible and PWD-friendly. They've also been designed with modern touches and attractive structures. CONS: As a society, we tend to look down on people doing social work, and CSWCD has the stereotype of being easy and having poor students. Well, eff that. TL;DR: I think, everyone can learn a thing or two about being better members of society by taking a class or just getting to know the people of CSWCD.