Monday, October 29, 2007
MY fond memories of sheer terror
The La Sallian’s anniversary ish came out last, last week and I saw my copy just when I was removing the clutter on top of my table. I was flipping the pages before I finally drop it into my trash bin when something caught my attention and glued my eyes to it: a picture of my former law professor, Atty. Uribe, was plastered on the page, and the word ‘terror’, in bold and black letters, appeared on top of his head.
That sight brought me back to that one term I had under his merciless hands; that term I never expected I would end up bragging about.
Atty. Uribe lived up to his title of being a “terror professor”. The on-time roll calls, grilling recitations, mind boggling exams- these were the norms in his class. Students weren’t expected to memorize laws. We have to know them by heart, which is harder 99% of the time.
That sight brought me back to that one term I had under his merciless hands; that term I never expected I would end up bragging about.
Atty. Uribe lived up to his title of being a “terror professor”. The on-time roll calls, grilling recitations, mind boggling exams- these were the norms in his class. Students weren’t expected to memorize laws. We have to know them by heart, which is harder 99% of the time.
He expected every student to read about the lesson in advance and those who failed to do so would be doomed when, unfortunately, they were called- in for recitations. And by recitation, I meant 3 students would be called at a time and they would be on deck depending on how long they could survive. Three straight incorrect answers and the student would have to sit his ass down in shame. He gave as high as 95, and as low as 65.
He never recognized the unlimited cuts Dean’s Listers were privileged of. Everyone has to attend his classes, read cases, recite confidently and pass the exams to get a 1.0 (70) in the course card. Too bad for me, 1.0 wasn’t enough. As a BSA student, 2.0 (83) was the lowest I could get to pass the course.
In spite all of those nerve- wracking things I said about Atty. Uribe, I still recommend him to my friends who seek my advice on which professor to enroll in. Atty. Uribe’s class wasn’t an easy ride; but it was definitely worthwhile.
Those grilling recitations motivated me to read and read and read. He suggested a 300- page book as a reference but I opted to use the 800- page one published by a law school. Still, I didn’t manage to answer correctly all the time. He said “That’s incorrect” right into my face so many times and so straight forwardly that it could make my knees wobble, but it never crushed my confidence. Rather, it built my character. Every incorrect answer pushed me to read ten more pages than usual at night.
Those mind boggling exams we have to prepare for 3 nights just to pass, they developed my study habits. They set my priorities straight and never allowed me to slack off. Watching Atty. Uribe write my name as one of the top notchers definitely sponged all the stress away.
The efforts I exerted in this course were enough, if not more than, to get a 4.0 had I enrolled in another professor. I only got 3.0 (91-94). No, let me rephrase that. Atty. Uribe gave me a 3.0- definitely something I could be proud of.
In spite all of those nerve- wracking things I said about Atty. Uribe, I still recommend him to my friends who seek my advice on which professor to enroll in. Atty. Uribe’s class wasn’t an easy ride; but it was definitely worthwhile.
Those grilling recitations motivated me to read and read and read. He suggested a 300- page book as a reference but I opted to use the 800- page one published by a law school. Still, I didn’t manage to answer correctly all the time. He said “That’s incorrect” right into my face so many times and so straight forwardly that it could make my knees wobble, but it never crushed my confidence. Rather, it built my character. Every incorrect answer pushed me to read ten more pages than usual at night.
Those mind boggling exams we have to prepare for 3 nights just to pass, they developed my study habits. They set my priorities straight and never allowed me to slack off. Watching Atty. Uribe write my name as one of the top notchers definitely sponged all the stress away.
The efforts I exerted in this course were enough, if not more than, to get a 4.0 had I enrolled in another professor. I only got 3.0 (91-94). No, let me rephrase that. Atty. Uribe gave me a 3.0- definitely something I could be proud of.
If E.K. sold shirts with “I survived space shuttle” printed on it, DLSU could produce its own “I survived Atty. Uribe’s class” and I bet it would sell like hotcakes.
I would be among the first to buy.
# posted by Liana : 7:13 PM
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