Martina Illac Jose Leonardo 356 Borol 2nd Balagtas, Bulacan 09178379941
[email protected] January 17, 2017 Tuesday Sarmiento, Dr. Jumela F., Ph.D. The Director Office of Admission and Aid Loyola Schools Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108 Philippines Ateneo has always been a dream. I write this letter as an appeal for my admission's decision, and more importantly, as a personal need to give my Ateneo one more shot, the best one I could give. I can still remember the day I took the ACET: I was so excited, and I felt so prepared. I had spent months getting ready for the test; when the day of the test came, I felt like there was no way I could fail. I was filled with joyful hope as the days drew closer to the release of results; and when the day finally came, my excitement peaked as I slowly ran my finger down the list to see what course I had gotten. It was a warm kind of excitement fueled by hope; but it quickly turned into a cold sinking feeling of dread when I realized that my name was not on the list. All of a sudden, it felt as though time stood still; and as though all the noise surrounding surrounding me at the time was silenced. I did not make the cut. I have failed. The exam result was a wake up call, a realization of what had gone wrong; on why I did not pass the ACET. I realized that I was overconfident going in to the test, and so I became careless: I focused on speed, and thus sacrificed accuracy; I had thought that there was no way I could fail —and that is exactly why I failed. When I was able to accept all that, I was also able to t o see my failure as another opportunity. I am writing this appeal today, humbled, hopeful, and hungrier than ever to call the Ateneo my home and my alma mater. It is a hunger further intensified by the bitter but necessary taste of failure. I am grateful to have this opportunity to really work for what I want, and go through an arguably more challenging road than most. I am more willing and committed than I have ever been to do what it takes to get in because I now have a real understanding and experience of what is at stake. I am certain that wherever I may go, g o, I will earn an outstanding education. The schools that have accepted my application (De La salle, University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines (LB)) are all revered institutions of higher learning. My dedication to succeed and to do the best that I can will cement a positive experience in college and beyond. Furthermore, my persistence, tenacity and outmost positivity are constant, and unwavering. They will be with me wherever life takes me. But still, Ateneo lingers. In the mind, and in the heart.
The Ateneo, to me, does not merely serve as a goal or an end in itself. On the contrary, it will serve as the start of my personal journey of finding my true passion, and doing so in an environment that cultivates a culture of excellence and resilience. I aspire to be an Atenean because of my firsthand experience with its students and leaders. I see the kind of people they have become thanks to the Ateneo, and I wish to undergo the same holistic upbringing myself. I wish to develop intellectually, but also have the opportunities to further pursue my passion for student leadership, sports, performing arts, and social involvement through action. I have great dreams for my country, and myself and I think that Ateneo will best be able to equip me with the necessary means, mindset and mindfulness to do extraordinary things for and with others. I want to embody to the fullest what the Ateneo stands for- to not just seek the good, but the greater good, to be a woman for others. To be part of the elite, that SERVES. I understand that in life, I will have my share of failures, together with the successes. The highs must have its lows. I accept that I will experience all these, and I fully embrace them. The knowledge gained from all these, will aid and mold me to be better, wiser. My failures will help me reconfigure the lens from which I view life, that is, as opportunities and not simply as moments of defeat. Today, I have no regrets. I try to live life fully, and share what I can to make life meaningful. I am still consistently in the top of my class, I stay active in social and civic duties in and out of school, and I train for my passion, badminton and swimming to further hone my playing skills. I live life and bask in sheer enjoyment of what I can do for myself and others. As I end, and in line to living with no regrets, I must humbly ask for the reconsideration of my application to the Ateneo. I may have failed the ACET but I am committed to be better because of it. I know this path is more challenging, but it is precisely that fact that assures me that Ateneo is more than worth it. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to appeal my case. I look forward to your favorable response.
AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM
