UP Manila Student's Guide to St. Luke's College of Medicine

Of all the schools I applied to (UP, UERM, PLM, ASMPH, and SLCM), I'd say that the Admissions Committee of SLCM is the absolute worst. Their medical school is definitely something to look forward to, but you'd have to lie your way in, if you're a financially unstable person like my friend who rooted for an academic scholarship. Mind you, he was 6th in line and had more than the credentials for that academic scholarship, but was still denied of it when he said that he was also waiting for results of other schools (which is an honest answer knowing that there's still a risk of paying about 150k per year for a med school).

Application Requirements

Now, for our batch, the requirements were:

1. Accomplished Application Form with 4 copies of 2" by 2" photo (white background)
2. Application Fee of Php. 3000.00
3. Official Transcript of Records (TOR) or True Copy of Grades (TCG)*
4. Certification of Expected Graduation*
5. Birth Certificate, Certificate of Naturalization (if naturalized Filipino) and Marriage Certificate (if married)
6. Official NMAT Result
7. 2 Certificates of Good Moral Character letters from either of the following:
• Dean*
• Guidance Counselor
• Student Affairs
• College Secretary

(1) The application form is relatively short, but there's a part asking for a candid evaluation of yourself, so you might wanna put some effort into that, so STILL don't cram it in one night. 

(3) Among the five schools I applied for, SLCM had the latest deadline which is really something they should improve on, if they want quality students. However, I recommend you apply as early as possible like around January because the first batch is the most SURE batch. No one gets denied of a scholarship there. TOR is the hardest to acquire, so budget your time wisely. TCG is enough and it takes only 3 days to make at the OCS (Office of the College Secretary).

(4) In UP Manila, there's no such this as Certificate of Expected Graduation. They'll just laugh at you. Trust me. Ask for "Certificate of Candidacy for Graduation" at the OCS (Office of the College Secretary) and they'll make one for you after payment. Again, 3 days is all it takes.

(5) UP Manila also does not offer a Certificate of Class Ranking to undergraduates, but ASMPH requires that the College Secretary present a letter or certificate that attests to that truth. You may ask for one from the OCS, as well.

(7a) Again, if you want a letter from the Dean in UP Manila, he/she requires your TCG, a Certificate of Good Moral Character (CGMC) from Office of Student Affairs (OSA) or Office of Student Services (OSS) and a draft of a recommendation letter. So, basically, you can praise yourself in this letter and the Dean won't mind because he'll just sign it as long as you provide him evidence of your good moral character and your standing. If you placed your organizations in the letter, certificate of memberships to those organizations are required for him to sign it, else you should remove that part in your letter. You'll need to send a soft copy and a hard copy of the letter, the TCG, the CGMC, and the certificate of memberships/awards (if you mentioned them in the letter) to the Dean's e-mail and the Dean's office, respectively. I won't put the Dean's e-mail here because it might be different for future aspirants and might mislead them. Note that this system may change in light of any change of administration. Better go to the Dean's office to ask on how to obtain a recommendation letter from the Dean.

Interview

I loved the interview by SLCM and I loved my interviewer because he definitely showed me the pros of being a Lukan student. He even called in students to endorse the school in front of me and I was convinced by their honest opinion on how they loved their life in St. Luke's. So, this place is definitely a great med school, but not if you're financially unstable, sadly. Truly a turn-off.

During the interview I figured out what St. Luke's is looking for: someone with direction. When I told my interviewer all the specific plans I have and had in my life, he was impressed by it. At the end of the interview, he told me that he was going to "recommend me to the Dean and the committee" in light of my "maturity in making decisions in life". He asked me "Why St. Luke's?", I answered that it was the medical school that fit my dream of becoming a pediatric cardiologist, as inspired by my favorite doctor Jhuliet Balderas. Apart form that, I also explained how my parents and I talked over coffee on the right medical schools to apply for and why. Hearing all of this, he assured me that I am the type of student St. Luke's is looking for. Then again, he might be saying that to everyone HAHAHAHA! The same went for my interview with the Dean. They were impressed by my mindset and was endorsed to the committee. 

My interview was about 30 minutes long and it was centerred primarily on the "Why's" of my life.

Result

I am ACCEPTED and got an ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP! However, I cannot help but feel hatred towards this college. My financially unstable friend was definitely scammed. After being irritably told to confirm ASAP and just wait for more information regarding the topic of being denied of his rightfully owned scholarship (he was 6th in line for it), he was pushed around to make the bad choice of placing a downpayment (20k!) despite the hopelessness of getting the academic scholarship. He was told a few months later that he can't even enroll in St. Luke's anymore! It really broke his heart, and I hope St. Luke's does something about their system. It is faulty and discriminating towards the less fortunate. Sayang yung 20k. That was supposed to be his tuition fee. You have no idea how much pain you've caused a family.