HE aspired to be an honor student in college, but didn't make it because procrastination got in the way. Thus, he vowed to do better in the board, and got rewarded for this commitment to do better by becoming the only Top 10 passer from a university in Mindanao, landing at No. 5.
Oswald Enrique Pairat thus considered it a blessing when the results of the board exam came out with his name on the 5th rank with a rating of 83.40 percent.
Oswald grew up in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, decided to go to college at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU), and took up Chemical Engineering.
“I was an ordinary student but I really aspired for honor awards during my college years. Unfortunately, I fell short and didn’t meet the requirements. I blame my procrastination and laid back attitude during these times. As much as possible, I tried to avoid this during my review for the board. I didn’t adopt any of my previous cramming study habits and instead made an effective one. I study based on a schedule I made and did my best to follow it. Also, I learned how not to lose focus so that I can absorb what I needed to learn. Distractions are present but I learned how to adapt to them and used them to my advantage,” Oswald told Sunstar Davao.
When the results came bearing his name on the top 10 list, Oswald said he felt a mix of emotions. It didn’t immediately sink in that he was able to perform better than some takers from the prestigious universities in Metro Manila, Luzon, and in Visayas.
“There are really no secrets in passing the exam. One just have to be dedicated and be serious in achieving his/her goal. Skills in time management are really applicable. For me, I studied during daytime to train my brain to stay awake and be sharp. This is actually the time period of the exam and thus one should really be alert during that time,” Oswald said.
He added during his review period, he also acknowledged the need to have some leisure time in between review to rest his mind. He also did not force himself to study if he is not in the mood, too.
When asked how foresees the future now that he is a licensed chemical engineer, and a topnotcher at that, Oswald said he plan to go on further study especially to be fully equipped to be a process engineer in a petroleum industry – as what his dream career is. He added, aside from the fact that working in a petroleum industry pays well, it also puts all their learned skills during their formative years to good use and application.
Oswald is only one of the 17 new chemical engineers of AdDU. This year, the university has a passing rate of 100 percent after all 17 takers were able to pass the board exam as well.