UPOU Graduate Admission Essays
The UP Open University requires all those who are applying for admission to their post-baccalaureate programs (or graduate programs) to submit a 500-word essay alongside with other admission requirements such as Transcripts of Records, Letters of Recommendations and others.
Application requirements for UPOU Graduate Programs are as follows (as posted on the official UPOU website)
Post-Baccaluareate Program applicants:
- Correctly and completely accomplished Application for Admission
- Original copy of Transcript of records (TOR) for all degrees earned (original and duplicate) PhD program applicants are required to submit original TOR for both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
- Two (2) letters of recommendation from: a) employer/supervisor; b) former professor; c) former program adviser
- Two identical 2″x2″ photos and two identical 1″x1″ photos (print complete name and program at the back)
- Medical certification issued by a licensed physician
- 500-word essay (please refer to item #30
- Proof of payment of application fee of Php500.00 (US$100)
- Photocopy of PRC license/board exam rating (if applicable)
- Photocopy of latest income tax return (ITR) [if applying for a scholarship]
What should you include in your UPOU Graduate Admission Essay? The UPOU Application for Admission form states that your 500-word essay should indicate your purpose for applying to the distance education program and your plan after completion of graduate study at the UP Open University. However, the instructions failed to mention anything about the format of your essay—just make sure your essay would be readable.
Here are some examples of graduate admission essays that was submitted to the UP Open University:
Graduate Admission Essay #1 by Anna Katharina G. Peña, RN, MD, MPH, who applied for admission to the Master in Distance Education program of the UP Open University (Application Status: Admitted: 1st Term AY 2010-2011)
Graduate Admission Essay #2 by Dianna Kristin G. Peña, RN, who applied for admission to the Master of Arts in Nursing program of the UP Open University (Application Status: Admitted: 1st Semester AY 2010-2011)
The essays included in this post remain the properties of their respective owners and are posted here with their permission.
One important thing to remember when writing your graduate admission essay is to give credit where credit is due. As stated on the University of the Philippines Open University Student Handbook (2008 Edition): “Plagiarism, using others’ ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of information, is a form of intellectual dishonesty. The consequences of these are clearly discussed in the UP Rules on Student Conduct and Discipline. The University of the Philippines community upholds academic excellence and takes seriously the issue on intellectual dishonesty.”
For more information regarding the admission policies of the UP Open University, please visit http://www.upou.edu.ph.
