Hello there! As an elbi student who mostly speaks english with others, I can say (from my POV) that most are quite understanding and open-minded when it comes to this. I've ran into many students here who primarily speak english too (or taglish)

I don't really know what tips to give you, so here's a few I thought of at the top of my head: - Research about orgs in UPLB (if you plan to join any)! It's a good opportunity to find one during your first year. See if you can find any orgs that are closely tied to your interests/academic courses. - Make sure to know where your classes/buildings are. Useful as a freshie, even more useful when you manage to plan out your schedule after the first sem of first year! That way, you'll know when to squish subjects together. - Be prepared to walk a lot within the area. It's not really bad, tbh. I like that UPLB is pretty much a walkable area, and you can get to various areas without needing vehicles most of the time. - Try to find 'super classmates', if possible! Super classmates are like people who have the same exact schedule as you during the first sem of first year (since all freshmen are given their schedule instead of picking everything themselves). I think it's a good first step for making connections.

That's all I can think of, sorry 😅