Ah, mamaya nalang.

Alongside the fierce pride, lore-rich history and secret internet humor that comes with being a Filipino, being a part of the diverse and unique community of the Philippines also calls for having specific, certain mindsets that aren’t necessarily the most flashy or showed off. While of course, generating stereotypes and hasty generalizations about a person due to their race is out of the equation, there have been certain observed patterns within Filipino society that seem largely non-coincidental. 

There is, for instance, the Mañana Habit — essentially the urge to simply say “mamaya na,” or “saka na lang,” to accomplish or do a certain task. 

With the summer season dominating the timeline of the ASHS today, a concept such as the Mañana Habit is devastating, causing a loss of momentum, drive, and focus when it comes to academic circumstances. Isn’t it crazy how the caffeine-driven, manhid-sa-walang-katapusang-gawain version of you might be taking the backseat as you begin to (deservedly, of course) relax more during the summer?

While taking an academic break for the summer is something that you [rightfully] prioritize now, it is incredibly worth noting that this summer’s Ateneo Senior High Advancement Classes (ASHAC) will be underway soon.

Keeping it Steady

The sun (or this summer, ironically, the rain cloud because of the delayed school calendar) is out and everyone’s going into different trips, relaxing at home, or trying a different hobby. Future juniors of the ASHS are counting the days until their first and only Senior High School Orientation Seminar (SHOrSem), meanwhile, returning seniors of the Senior High are also counting the days until the applications of their dream universities open and College Entrance Test (CET)  season begins. However, just before these two groups of ASHS students meet in July, the faculty and staff of the school are counting the days until the ASHAC commences.

Registration for the classes will be open until June 25, but the actual program begins on the 27th until July 10. Courses for both incoming Grade 11 and 12 students will be offered, from Junior General Mathematics to Senior Selected Topics in Chemistry in one-hour sessions per day (2:30 – 3:30 PM and 4:00 – 5:00 PM), every weekday from the aforementioned June-July time frame. 

Additionally, these courses will be open to all incoming or returning senior high students (and even alumni) from all schools. This means that the face-to-face, onsite session experience in the ASHS will be open to all — not just those from Ateneo. 

The Upsides 

Aside from the specifics of the program, its genuine benefit lies in the headline seen above — keeping one foot forward is staying two steps ahead. Essentially, the ASHAC allows students from all schools to get a head start on senior high school, and in the long run, college as well. 

For juniors, especially those getting ready to call themselves Atenean for the first time, the ASHAC offers a peek into the rigorous, quality education offered in the ASHS — and for courses in typically-difficult subject areas, the one-hour-a-day head start often will translate into a significant improvement in the understanding of important topics to be discussed in the future. 

Specifically, it also sets the standard for transferee students to see just how the ASHS administers classes before their big SHOrSem welcome towards the waning days of July. It introduces them to their soon-to-be teachers and maybe even get to meet a few classmates under the guise of being an invisible string. 

For returning ASHS students, the ASHAC offers two head starts — one for the upcoming senior year and another for the long-awaited College Entrance Test season. While for senior year, the strands all begin to delve into specialized subjects, each strand has a specialized course on the ASHAC’s roster, ensuring that no strand is left behind. From Basic Accounting to Trigonometry and Biology, the course offerings of the ASHAC remain inclusive of strand-specific subjects.

Of course, the general courses aren’t to be underestimated, either, as these courses might not fully help all incoming Grade 12 students taking them, but their benefits lie further in the future — college. Selected topics in Chemistry and Physics ensure that students are prepared for CETs and College topics beyond the offerings of a Review Center, and other courses like Gamiting Filipino sa Akademikong Diskurso polish the student’s use of Filipino in academic settings.

While the grade level-specific courses are of major importance, there are also subjects that offer points-of-interest for some, depending on your cup of tea. Some might immediately sign up when they hear of the Recreational Badminton Advance Course, while others might want to get ahead in their Formal Presentation and Etiquette courses. People might flock to the sign-ups for the acting and storytelling workshops, others might prepare their books and knowledge for the Crash Course: Philippine History Offering. Whichever course may appeal to you, the ASHAC opens doors to numerous possibilities through its flexible roster of classes. 

To Sum it Up

Short-term hard work reaps long-term advantages.

Despite the fact that ASHAC takes up about two weeks of summer, its tradeoff lies in the fact that students undergoing the program this year reap miles of head-start benefits when it comes to the future. As Ma’am Krisette of the Science Subject Area puts it,  “The ASHAC provides structured learning opportunities. Students can retain and enhance what they learned from the previous school year and can acquire advanced knowledge and skills needed in the upcoming school year. Students can also interact and build rapport with their classmates especially during group-related activities.”

For a fee of P3,800 per course, students of the ASHS and beyond get to put themselves ahead. And of course, while going to classes at this time might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is incredibly worth considering its benefits for the upcoming school year. Of course, if you aren’t yet fully convinced to join the program, it would greatly be beneficial for those preparing to lead the ASHAC if the word is spread — you might have a friend or peer who might be interested in the opportunity, after all. 

Regardless of if you’re studying in Ateneo for senior high or not, what your interests are and why you might want to join, the ASHAC provides an avenue for all students to get ahead, and most importantly, begin to actively combat the Mañana Habit in time for the new academic year.