Beyond the Wait: How UST Freshmen Finally Found Their Home

MANILA, Philippines - For months, incoming freshmen across the University of Santo Tomas scrolled through TikTok edits, zoomed into campus maps, and stared at acceptance letters pinned to refrigerators. This year’s batch imagined a sunlit morning, a sea of yellow shirts, and the historic Arch of the Centuries framing their entry. Then Habagat arrived. Persistent monsoons, flooded streets, and suspension announcements pushed the Thomasian Welcome Walk, ROARientation, and Onboarding Fair past their original August dates.

While individual academic units rolled out their own unique flavors for the week, such as the UST College of Nursing which infused its welcome with a playful, cartoon-inspired theme, the broader university-wide onboarding events provided a shared space for connection and discovery.

Navigating Delays and Scoring Freebies at the Onboarding Fair

Before the ceremonial walks fully settled, the Onboarding Fair inside the UST Practice Gymnasium became a stopover for visiting students from the rain. Spanning five (5) distinct zones from the Flavor Gallery to Advocacy Alley, the fair transformed into a bustling marketplace that quickly turned skeptical freshmen into enthusiastic explorers.

For Elise, a political science freshman from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, the weather delays became material for online humor. "We always put it in a positive light, instead of taking it as a sign na hindi pa kami pinapapasok ng arch, we take it as an opportunity to view it with humour especially online," she says. Once the Onboarding Fair doors opened, Elise quickly dove into the booths, building custom Lego pieces and collecting stickers at Tringklify and Blinglify, while setting her sights on organizations like UST Volunteers for UNICEF. She also praised the packed freshie kit, noting how instantly useful the included essentials were.

Pharmacy freshmen Bernice and Temple found a similar silver lining at the fair after an initial wave of weather-induced disappointment.

"Personally, Freshie Week was disappointing since as a freshie, we were looking forward to it. It was underwhelming since we waited for it for too long so the spark of the activities went lay low," Bernice admits. Yet, that initial slump vanished the moment they stepped onto the onboarding fair grounds and started browsing the booths. Temple highlighted the sheer surprise of discovering various brands and freebies just by following them on social media. "As a freshie I felt that I maximized the things I got. I discovered brands that might help me as a student, there were a lot of variations such as keychains and brands," she shares, turning a delayed week into a successful hunt for student essentials.

The Heart of the Journey: Nursing Freshmen Speak Out

While the general onboarding fair served as a university-wide hub, individual college events brought deeper personal narratives to light, particularly within the UST College of Nursing. Welcoming its 245 freshmen with a creative pop culture motif titled "AdveNUR Time: Exploring the Land of Care," complete with Bear caps and a booming drumline, the college offered a vibrant backdrop. But the real soul of the week lived in the raw, candid reflections of the nursing students themselves.

For Allison Besenio, a nursing freshman and member of the Filipino Department of the Nursing Journal who traveled all the way from Iloilo, stepping onto campus felt like crossing an emotional finish line. When she first saw her acceptance results, she didn't celebrate quietly. She ran straight to her parents in tears, overwhelmed by the late-night studying, the self-doubt, and the quiet fear that she wasn't capable of passing.

"I remember watching TikToks about UST and seeing how passionate and lively the Thomasian community was, and now I was finally there, experiencing it myself," Allison shares. Watching the community through a screen from Iloilo used to feel impossibly distant. Walking the grounds in person made every sacrifice worth it. Looking ahead, her message to her future self is a powerful reminder of endurance: "Thank you for holding on to our dreams. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for trying."

Raj Cyrile Canals, another freshman and features writer for the Nursing Journal, navigated a similarly distinct path. Juggling a punishing schedule, he relied mostly on stock knowledge during the USTET and never expected to survive the rigorous interviews for nursing. When the acceptance letter arrived, it brought shock mixed with anxiety about where life would take him.

Yet, experiencing the onboarding activities changed everything for him. "Experiencing the onboarding activities is the most alive I've ever been after a couple months of doing almost nothing," Raj reveals. Surrounded by his own blockmates as they bonded over the university's surprises, he realized how deeply the institution cared for its students. His message to the person he is becoming is one of quiet triumph: "So to the person that I am about to become, congratulations for reaching the pinnacle of your life and I am very excited to meet you."

A New Chapter Begins

The rain eventually cleared, leaving behind damp hems and muddy shoes. Whether they spent their days collecting freebies at the Practice Gymnasium or marching through the halls under custom college banners, these freshmen discovered something vital. Thomasian life does not start with a pristine, sunny day. It starts with showing up, weathering the storm together, and holding onto the belief that the wait was worth every second.

Written by: Kiera Andjela Mayamaya/ UST Nursing Journal