THE NEW Office of Admission and Aid director, Jumela Sarmiento, PhD, is determined to attract the brightest students to the Ateneo.
“I want the [Loyola Schools (LS)] to be the first choice of school for the best and brightest graduating [high school] seniors,” Sarmiento said.
“For example, if a student would like to take a science course, we want them to know that Ateneo is the school to go… because we can offer whatever other schools can offer and we can, of course, surpass whatever [they] can find from other universities,” she added.
Sarmiento said that by recruiting the best students in the country, the Ateneo would have a better chance of producing quality research, improving interaction between teachers and students and winning in different competitions.
“We always get the desired number of admitted students every year. If you want 2,000, it’s not difficult to get 2,000 students,” Sarmiento said. “But we want to improve the confirmation rate among the top ACET passers.”
According to a memo released by University President Fr. Jett Villarin, SJ, last May 24, Sarmiento shall “continue the usual university protocols, measures and processes that will ensure that [the Ateneo] will recruit and select the most promising students.” Sarmiento is now also managing financial aid and scholarships in the LS.
Sarmiento is currently an associate professor in the Mathematics Department and was a former scholar herself, as she took up BS Mathematics in the Ateneo for her undergraduate studies. She has also been a member of the LS Admissions Committee since 2002 and of the special committee on Merit Scholarships since 2011.
Part of her plans is to work more closely with the LS departments to discuss different recruitment strategies so that the OAA can get more top students. She said that her primary objective is to improve the confirmation rate among accepted applicants.
Improving the recruitment process
To make this possible, Sarmiento said that the OAA would broaden the extent of their recruitment this year. “We would like to reach as many high schools in the country as we can.”
She said that the OAA is planning to hold more campus tours and talks to fourth year high school students so that they could get more acquainted with the courses the Ateneo offers.
The OAA would also continue having a testing center in Dubai, as the school was able to get a good number of students from that region to enroll this school year. The office is also looking into giving recruitment talks in other areas in the Middle East, as well as opening testing centers in other countries.
“Some parents would like their kids to study in the Philippines, and we want to offer [our school]. We also want to take advantage of the fact that the tuition is expensive in other countries, so it would be best to send their kids to Ateneo,” she said. Sarmiento would also like the OAA to be more active in attending educational fairs abroad.
Moreover, Sarmiento said that the OAA is looking at the possibility of extending recruitment efforts even to students who haven’t reached their senior year in high school yet.
Sophomore communication major and 100% tuition and fees scholar Gillian Ebreo suggested that the OAA improve the content of the kits given to LS applicants so that students will be more enticed to choose the Ateneo. Ebreo also thinks that the OAA should continue holding open houses.
More for Ateneo scholars
However, apart from broadening the extent of recruitment and making sure that incoming freshmen are aware of the courses offered by the Ateneo, Sarmiento is also taking steps to increase the number of scholarships offered by the LS.
She said that her aim is for students not to remove the Ateneo from their list of university options just because they cannot afford the tuition and fees of the LS.
Aside from the financial aid scholarships, Sarmiento said that the OAA will continue giving Merit, San Ignacio de Loyola and Academic scholarships this year. The office will also give 25% scholarships to students who are part of the Director’s List, the top two percent of entrance test passers.
The OAA will continue conducting studies and surveys so as to better provide for the various needs of the scholars. Ebreo expects the OAA to offer more programs that would benefit the scholars this year. “Recently, there’s this new policy that allowed scholars to get their NSTP shirts for free, so we’re really thankful for that,” she said.
Sarmiento is also starting to make the necessary preparations for the implementation of the K+12 program in 2016, as well as for the Asean Summit in 2015.
Good evening. I would just like to ask if the Ateneo provides scholarships to valedictorians from all kinds of schools around the Philippines (private,sectarian,public,etc.) I really want to study in Ateneo but my family is a bit skeptic because they think that the tuition and other fees are too expensive. Ateneo has been the dream for me for a long while now. I really want to be part of the community because I believe that the school is the best for me. It will help me be more than the intelligence which has somehow defined me for it can help me be a better person holistically. The school gives me hope that I can be of service to my fellowmen with all the things that I possess while still bringing out the best in me academically. Reading about the school has taught me quite a lot and it would be such a heartbreak for me if I don’t get to attend the institution. Hoping for a speedy reply. Thanks and more power. AMDG