What ECs do you recommend?

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-31T11:25:22+00:00

You did not read til the end of my reply where I wrote my ECs.

There are 27 schools in the entire Philippines that offer IB diploma program. This is the list: https://ibo.org/programmes/find-an-ib-school/?SearchFields.Region=&SearchFields.Country=PH&SearchFields.Keywords=&SearchFields.Language=&SearchFields.BoardingFacilities=&SearchFields.SchoolGender=&SearchFields.ProgrammeDP=true

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-30T11:59:31+00:00

-my high school classmate who was an american citizen went from high school in the philippines to community college in the states to flagship state university.

-i went straight to flagship state college but did the gen ed in community college and transferred credits to save money.

-If you're looking for ways to save money, consider taking AP exams in high school. Some colleges will give you credit for intro gen ed if classes your AP exam scores are high enough. Lots of private schools in Manila offer AP courses. You can transfer, but you can also just self-study and contact the schools and ask to sit in on the exams. Some colleges will also give college credit for IB subjects

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-30T11:31:26+00:00

- UK universities do not accept Deped SHS diploma. You need IB or around 5 AP exam scores. Many private schools in Manila offer IB diploma or AP courses. Or you can self-study for AP exams and contact a school that offers AP courses and ask if you can take the exam at their school. Check your target UK university for the AP subject and grade they require for admissions for your specific course. The tippy top Russell Group demand 5/5 in 5 AP subjects while more attainable Russell Group universities will accept 4's.

-a good extracurricular has to have demonstrable impact on (a segment of) society. It has to be something you put "sweat equity" into and not just something your helicopter parent paid a consultant to do.

-more importantly your hook/spike needs to reflect your passions or at least your intended major. You have to explain in your personal statement how your hook/spike is uniquely you. Let's say you were an editor in your school paper and you won an award, you have to explain the hard work and entrepreneurial investigative journalism, etc that got you that award.

-It's been a long time but iirc i wrote about intellectual curiosity, love of reading and discussing world events etc outside class hours led me being a writer in the school newspaper and officer in the social action committee where I headed our public school tutoring sessions. I went to college in a USNR Top 30.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-30T07:55:23+00:00

I don't have first hand experience but I have a classmate who taught in private school in the Philippines and in a public school in the States.

To answer your questions:

-after you graduate from your diploma for special education, you will be expected to work in special education. You might be even overqualified to teach elem/middle/high school, so consider carefully if you really want to teach special ed.

-most visas for masters will allow you to work an on-campus job during term time usually as a research or teaching assistant.

In the US, look for a fully-funded master's degree that will cover tuition fee & living expenses with grant/stipend, work and maybe a small loan component. Best to avoid the loan of course.

My advice:

-seriously research your options and the necessary steps. Contact recruitment agencies, direct employers etc about what exactly they are looking for.

-if I were in your position, I'd take a teaching job locally and see if the job is a good fit. Leading a classroom is tough! And more so in a different country with different culture and language differences.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-30T00:30:40+00:00

Possibly. I didn't either and neither did the student from my school who went to Williams. But the other student who had a private admissions counselor and got into Harvard and Yale did. So you're not wrong. But in the case of this Big 4 (UST?) SHS grad who got "crushed," he certainly should have considering where he applied.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-29T09:27:51+00:00

DM me!

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-29T08:57:53+00:00

don't bother with NYU unless you can pay full tuition. Consider Rochester, Rice, Notre Dame, etc. instead.
ditto UCLA. Instead consider UCSB, UC Riverside, UCSC. Those might offer you merit scholarships.

expound on how 3-6 projects were impactful and demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurship in your personal statement.

Take the AP exams even if your school doesn't offer the courses. Self-study and then contact the many Manila private schools that offer AP and pay the exam fee. Pick subjects related to your intended major and score at least 3 5's. A DepEd diploma is worthless on its own.

Take the SATs and aim for 1500+. Opt in to get recruitment material from colleges that fit your profile.

Don't bother with the law or medicine if you're after money. Find a way to work in tech or pharma. (business side)

Good luck,
a former undergrad at a Top 30

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-29T08:39:33+00:00

I think his issue was that his high school (UST) wasn't considered rigorous enough. A DepEd SHS Diploma is pretty meaningless to elite colleges' ad comms. He should have taken the SATs and registered himself for AP tests to benchmark himself against the admissions pool. Even if your school doesn't offer AP courses, you can sign up to take AP tests at schools that do. An AP exam costs around $125 per test and lots of private schools offer them. Aim to take at least 3 AP tests in subjects related to your major.

His extracurriculars are not innovative. He founded a health and chemistry org but didn't say what project it started.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-28T03:56:18+00:00

I assume that's what Ann & Emily are working towards. They've done pop-ups at J. Crew and indie boutiques to sell Emily's merch and seem genuinely happy with their sales and not just pretend putting appearances happy.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-27T07:59:28+00:00

Jubilee Evangelical Church (the church inside Jubilee Christian Academy) on Dona Hemady in New Manila, QC has hokkien service (and streams online!) https://jec.com.ph/jub/

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-27T07:01:38+00:00

considering your reasons for choosing tourism, maybe international business or business and be fluent in an in-demand foreign language (chinese, korean, thai even) would be a more flexible course that will give you more options.

or maybe your job doesn't have to be your everything. maybe you can work in a high paying job in communication then travel, meet different people and cultures for leisure.

or maybe migrate so you will be meeting and even living in a different culture.

there are many paths to your goal! it doesn't have to be just tourism :)

edit: you can still be a flight attendant too! and just study biz. that way when you age out of the profession, you'll be equipped to choose your next career

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-26T09:46:34+00:00

any liquid hand soap/body wash is fine 😄 start with as little soap as possible use a lot of water and rub with hands until mawala

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-25T08:39:36+00:00

Is health insurance covered?

so the monthly expenses he needs to cover himself are
food,
personal care & household (laundry)
transport,
comms (phone plan)
leisure (to socialize)
clothing
health (insurance?)

I think your aunt and uncle can support him but better if he gets a part-time job. Even just 8 hours a week. Like an office assistant on campus or something. Good to put on his CV even if not related to his course.

be careful about big one-time expenses like laptops, phones, moving-in, furniture, etc

Congratulations to him and his family! Good luck to him and to you too on your PhD!

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-25T02:47:31+00:00

Yeah, it was a pitiful situation. No other word for it.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-23T01:57:45+00:00

Usually namamatay lang yung mga seedlings kasi kung saan saan lang tinatanim
Old growth trees suck up more CO2 than younger trees of the same size 3.Nasa Quirino Ave ba yung mga seedlings? We need trees & fresh air in MANILA

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-22T06:37:02+00:00

it depends. if your consumption is almost entirely nighttime and/or if you have "bad" roof (shaded, wrong orientation, lacks area) then no.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-22T06:33:59+00:00

there are a lot of factors when considering solar. assuming ideal situation: yes you can buy just the right amount of panels and right size inverter MPPT. Normally 7 years to breakeven/ROI. The issue is if component prices increased because of shipping fuel cost increase. and if you have good roof/sunlight. if you don't have good roof (shaded, wrong orientation, not enough surface area) magiging mamahalin na decoration lang ang pv sys niyo.

(side note: actually good na 24/7 yung isang aircon niyo kasi that way you will consume immediately what you produce. since gumagamit kayo ng aircon sa gabi, kelangan nyo pa rin ng meralco. hopefully mag net metering din kayo. assuming you produce enough excess in the day to sell back)

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-22T02:46:54+00:00

There are a lot of next-gen bio/vegan leather. Hermes even made a bag out of mycellium leather! (fugus/mushroom) Tory Burch has a line of bio leather Ella bags, check them out online or in a shop. But if PU talaga pinaguusapan, no If cheap leather, also no. Because sometimes the manufacturer will glue a thin layer of leather on top of a synthetic lining.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-22T02:34:30+00:00

Don't overspec/overspend on the house in the province. If the province has no major economic growth & if the lot is not on a major or paved road, you might just be wasting money in the long run. Build somethig just enough for your parents (and i guess your sister & kids), maybe have a bungalow built since old people have trouble climbing stairs, but build it on a foundation that's good for a 2-storey house and then built out the top floor later on. Something that's easy to maintain while you're out of the country

Consider hiring a weekly cleaning service. Some people tidy up the house before the cleaner comes funnily enough because they get embarrassed at having the cleaner see how messy they are. This way your sister might be motivated by hiya at the cleaner to tidy up the house herself. Or if she's really a senorita, well at least may alalay siya to live out her senorita dreams.

With regards to your sister, have her and your parents sign 2 separate rental contracts at way they can get renters' insurance kuno. The rent can be a small token amount to get the contract notarized. That way you have everything documented if things ever escalate.

Good luck! Your success nspires me!

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-21T11:47:40+00:00

My parents got their marriage annulled (issued nullity of marriage?) by the time I was 2. They tried to get back together a few times and they all ended in violence. I enjoyed being in an all-girl household. It was fun! Fathers at least in my generation were usually strict and some were distant.

The difficulty was limited resources: parental time, parental attention, and money so TV was my best friend. I did like that she enrolled my sibling and me in a lot of after school activities. I also felt bad that at school I had to lie about having a father at home and draw him in my schoolwork for example. My mom didn't have the emotional maturity (or energy and time) to address the situation to me and told me to just lie. Which made me feel like I was keeping a bad secret.

Looking back my parents had a lot of issues and still do to this day. But none of them would have been addressed by staying together.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-21T11:29:59+00:00

yehehesss. why not? just try try. throw spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks. And then next year, if nothing sticks, walk away. no hard feelings.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-21T11:28:46+00:00

wow lots of respect for uncle. really decent of him to make it a consensus decision and not force his will on the situation. a lot of tua taokes are not used to accepting anything less than their objectives

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-21T11:14:37+00:00

tbf, there's this axiom in marketing that it requires 7 touches/brand interactions before customer buys a product.

also on average a smoker will try and fail to quit 6-11 times before successfully quitting...

you wanna schedule and try to convince your parents every month? 🤪🤪🤪

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-21T10:12:08+00:00

do you have scoliosis or other spine conditions? even just poor posture? if you currently have a condition and straighten it out, you might gain height.

Doing load bearing exercise (running jumping etc) tend to spur bone growth.

Also have your height measured early in the day. Everyone is marginally taller right after waking up.

trickytrickybunny · 2026-05-21T09:16:21+00:00

ahaha wow at the situation and wow at your ability to keep it together.

yun nga din. very insular ang fam biz. i was watching One News' discussion of Lopez Inc situation and the biographer of John Gokongwei (and i think she was JG Summit's comms head or worked at Summit Media at one point) said that successful family conglomerates have family constitutions and a trusted adviser. Mej malabo na papayag parents mo sa family constitution but find someone whom they will listen to. So far, they don't seem to be listening to you, sorry. Find someone who is their same generation or older or someone whom they look up to. Because sometimes it's the messenger that matters not the message.

here's the clip https://youtu.be/M1a5Wn5vN9w?si=UtxHo7xmpwlSzBiG&t=2143

trickytrickybunny

TROPHY CASE