PHD: PRELIMS

There are always two sides whenever we reach a milestone. The other side is for the sacrifices,
hardships, and expectations. While the other side is more on the brighter part. Personally, I have
encountered these two aspects, especially now that I am a college student, where I always sense
the pressure and expectations of the people around me. First is peer pressure, which I have
always experienced when I see my friends and classmates are excelling in our field while I stay
as an average person. I've always wondered, "Why am I not good at this when my friends and
classmates are?” About that kind of thought, I constantly doubt myself, and I've noticed that my
confidence is continuously decreasing. Pressure from parents is the kind of pressure I hope not
everyone encounters in their life, though this is inevitable. This type of pressure, where you
know deep down that they're expecting something from you even when they're not really
pressuring you. Living in a situation like this has always made me feel like I must work hard to
be able to give back to them for all their efforts and hard work just to provide me with a better
education environment. This is even worse when all I do is study and yet I am unable to give
them the best academic achievements. Self-pressure. The worst feeling is knowing that, despite
my academic success, I still need to improve. I always feel like I have to be at the top because
everyone is watching out for me and anticipating me to do well in school. I have this kind of
mentality or personality where whenever I feel pressured I become lazy or demotivated because I
am always the chill and the go-with-the-flow student, I excel in something when no one
pressuring me. The other side is the brighter side. Where it shows the support that your friends
give, being active in recitations, and of course the celebration, since after all the hard work and
hardships in studying, a reward is a must even if it's just a simple reward it's still a reward. The
support I received from my friends is one of the best things that I received since they give me an
assurance that I am doing well and they also help me whenever I am having a hard time in
academics. Of course, with their support, I’m gaining self-confidence in academics where I
became active in recitation, activities, and group work. One of my friends said that “pressure is a
kind of force that keeps us going” and that hit me and made me realize that the pressure I felt is
one of the reasons why I keep going in my life, where it became a motivation for me to strive
and do better not just for myself but also for those people who believe in my ability in this field.
The poster I created illustrates that, despite the pressures we encounter in life, there is always a
bright side that comes from our efforts. When it seems like everyone is moving into a straight
path while yours is curved, keep in mind that, despite the fact that your path may not be as
clear-cut or bright as you may have planned, you will still arrive at your destination. Remember
that one OPM band says “There’s a rainbow always after the rain” so keep going, no matter how
different we are from other people for sure we have something that they also don’t have. A storm
is already part of our life, but there will also always be rainbows after the storms, and the
treasures at the end of the rainbows represent the success we will experience after our dark days.