Arrogant -- this is the common impression of Ateneans. I was recently asked why people think they are by someone at work. I didn’t have a ready explanation. I always thought Ateneans were merely being confident or at most being overconfident. In my Medieval History class, Father Bartholomew Lahiff, S.J. once said to a student who was unsure of his answer, “Are you telling me or are you asking me?” Expressing honesty, the student nodded. Big mistake. “You must always sound sure even if you’re not. Again!”
I don’t know if it’s the way Jesuits teach or it’s the university. Somehow, there are very few shy Ateneans. Let’s face it, many Ateneans come from wealthy families although 20 percent of students are full scholars. With that, maybe, comes assertiveness and maybe better English proficiency from having English-speaking parents or having studied in private high schools. The Ateneo also requires its students to take 4 subjects in Philosophy where the grade is ¼ oral recitation and where the final exam is oral. So, it will be extremely difficult to get a high grade if you’re shy. In addition, the written tests are not in multiple choice format. You must answer them in essays. And this is only Philosophy. The same is true to some extent in English and Theology. Maybe this is why most Ateneans are confident. They simply have to be. Otherwise, they will fail.
This confidence is useful in public speaking and making arguments. It is no wonder then that the Ateneo Debate Society is the seventh best in the world, ahead of Cambridge (8th), the National University of Singapore (19th) and even Harvard University (13th). In contrast, UP is at the 23rd spot. De La Salle is at number 42 while UST is at 229. Ateneo also has the highest passing percentage in the all-essay bar exams at 91.24 percent. By comparison, 82.85 percent of UP law graduates pass while San Beda students have an 88.4 percent passing record.
So, are Ateneans arrogant? I explained to my colleague that Ateneans may feel a sense of entitlement. But if there’s anyone who should feel entitled, it should be the UP graduates. After all, getting into UP is harder than getting into Ateneo. But UP doesn’t seem to have the same reputation. So, are Ateneans arrogant? Maybe. For the most part, they're just confident.
Two things:
ReplyDelete1. According to you blog description, you hope that the entries in this blog would prove to be useful for educators in the Philippines. So my question is: what do you want us to learn from this rant?
2. Your so-called educational entries are nothing but annotated reposts of survey results (whose methodologies are sometimes questioned)
Sorry, sir. For a teacher, you seem to be quite shallow.
P.S. Your title: Why ARE Ateneans ARE arrogant?
I'm really sorry, sir, but I think you're just one of those bloggers who want to attract attention by flame-baiting. My honest assessment of the entry: it sucks.
ReplyDeletehow did you ever become a teacher? I feel sorry for your students LOL
ReplyDelete- not an Atenean
Confidence is indeed helpful in debating, but it is not sufficient to be a good debater. A confident person with no substance is a windbag, a douche, an idiot or any variation of those words.
ReplyDeleteAteneo has done well in the debating world, not because of confidence, but because of the debaters' regular training, research and exposure to global issues and global debaters, which in turn gives them confidence. Ateneo actually was ranked as high as 4th in the world several years ago.
UP has very good debaters as well, and they are also very confident. Their global ranking in the debate scene is actually underestimated because the rankings are based on a university's performance in the world debate championships over several years. UP doesn't send debaters to these championships as frequently or as in large numbers as Ateneo does, so UP doesn't get as many opportunities to gather points.
This is not to belittle Ateneo's achievements for ranking above Princeton, NUS or Harvard. They really outrank these opponents. (In a recent pre-world debate championships tournament, in which only the top universities are invited, the 4 universities that make the finals were: Oxford University, Cambridge University, Victoria Wellington, and Ateneo. Victoria won.)
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Good luck in becoming a great teacher. Please correct the title of your blog (wrong grammar), and focus on things of more substance other than "why Ateneans are arrogant". It's a hasty generalization, and will also give your students the wrong information should they ever have to chose to go to Ateneo, UP, or another college.
Ouch! You still have the chance to prove these guys wrong! Go and challenge every reply here without saying "I will not stoop down your level" or "I have no time for this". Your thread's been flamed! Time to extinguish it. Show them how smart you are, teacher! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm an Atenean, and while some Ateneans are certainly more obviously arrogant than others (especially from Ateneo High School, I might add), I can say from personal knowledge that this post does a ridiculously poor job at attempting, or feigning, to explain why.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least you've exemplified a "principle" similar to that illustrated by your initial anecdote: Even if you're (laughably) mistaken, you might as well act confident about it.
- admu 2005, sister to admhs 1988 and admu 1996 & 2002
Dear UF29,
ReplyDeleteI have changed the title upon your request and because the original was grammatically wrong.
Well, I used to be one of those people who did think that Ateneans were arrogant, 'mayabang', in general. When I thought about it, my impression boiled down to their good command of the English language--if they speak to you in English, they do it straight--and yes, their confidence, the sure way they carry themselves. Like most Pinoys, I associated good English and confidence with arrogance (not anymore, though;) That information about Ateneo's Philosophy classes sounds like a good explanation to me on how they can build a student's confidence. And if professors are anything like Fr. Lahiff, then one has to be a little bit more sure of himself. I can see how these can make students more confident-a useful trait in debates, but, as UF29 pointed out, not enough.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about the 'flames'. I know for a fact that you are an excellent teacher! =)
arrogant is someone behaves in a proud, unpleasant way towards other people because they believe that they are more important than others. THIS IS HOw I DEFINE THE WORD ARROGANT. actually if u look at the scope of value and ethics .. ateneans surely top. ateneans do not exude confidence . they are just in their educated manner to mingle and socialize. if you are in a community where english is used in a full conversation, it would be natural for you to use it everywhere while others think that you are arrogant.personally i can say ateaneans are really vocal bcause the reality is already written in your article. added to this, ateaneans are not what you think.
ReplyDelete*diction*
the first thing to introduce in a grammar composition class is the appropriate term to use. with this i say arrogant is very inappropriate word to coin an atenean because language wouldn't make you arrogant..action does.but if you base it in language-confident situation, still it's not. your article doesnt clarify how they become ''arrogant''. please cite some examples to clarify things.