Mapua University

Mapúa University (MU, formerly known as Mapúa Institute of Technology) is a non-sectarian, research-oriented university located in Intramuros, Manila and in Makati. It was founded in 1925 by the first registered Filipino architect, Tomás Mapúa, a graduate of Cornell University. After he died, the tradition was continued by his children, Óscar M. Mapúa Sr., a graduate in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Gloria M. Mapúa-Lim. The university has been granted with the Level IV Accredited status to its Civil Engineering program by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA), which is one of the first engineering programs to be accorded such status. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has also recently recognized Mapúa's Mechanical Engineering (ME), Computer Engineering (CpE), Civil Engineering (CE), Environmental and Sanitary Engineering (EnSE), Chemical Engineering (CHE), Electrical Engineering (EE), Information Technology (IT) and Electronics Engineering (ECE) programs as Centers of Excellence for Engineering (COE), while Industrial Engineering (IE) and Computer Science (CS) programs as a Center of Development. Mapúa University is also the first Philippine and Southeast Asian educational institution to have ABET certification. During World War II, Mapúa's Intramuros Campus was used as a garrison by the Japanese forces during the occupation of Manila, and all classes and organisations were suspended. The Institute would continue to suffer throughout the war as the effort of the Institute to continue the studies of the students were suspended and Senior students were forced to prematurely graduate. In 1945 the Institute suffered total destruction during the liberation. As a part of the rehabilitation program, the former De Luxe Fashion School in Doroteo José was Leased Lot property for 50 years (1948-1998) and housed the high school department in 1948. In 1951, the Don Tomas B. Mapúa family acquired a piece of land from the La Corporación Fransicana where the present Intramuros Campus stands. The campus opened at 1956 and the building construction was completed in 1963. All college programs under deanship of Engr. Gonzalo T. Vales were transferred from the Doroteo José campus to the Intramuros Campus in 1973. Ar. Tomas B. Mapúa died on December 22, 1965 and his son Óscar Sr. took over the presidency until his death in 1998.

The university is okayish. It definitely earns its title of being one of the most prestigious university. However, there are things to consider before enrolling here. I'll list some of the pros and cons I have personally seen. PROS: -well known university and no doubt you can be proud to be a mapuan if you were to enroll here. Plus if you're pursuing engineering, its highly recommended you enroll here. -great facilities and equipments ready on site -great professors who seem to really know the topic and can expand on it in a way that makes it more easy to understand -isnt really strict with fashion or clothings style. there no uniform and you can wear almost any casual or outgoing clothes as long as it looks decent or is not pajamas or inappropriate. Plus I've seen some students who has dyed hair. -cafeteria has many great food stalls which provides many choices of food and drinks CONS -expensive. tuition and the expenses are high and you should expect to buy expensive materials or equipments that you might need for certain subjects. -difficult and stressful. Aside from the subj being difficult and having four terms in one year, you need to also worry about keeping your gwa in order to stay in certain courses. -expect to encounter some professors who may seem mean and inconsiderate. They are only a few I have seen so far that really scolds their student for the smallest of reason but its manageable. -if you were to become an irregular, there might be a chance that you may encounter discrimination when it comes to the days of enrollment, especially when requesting to add certain courses. So far it's a pretty based university that provides good opportunities and good environment for students to grow and develop.

A school of extremes. There are great teachers and then there are teachers who shouldn't be teachers at all. The online classroom platform is great but the online library is limited, and there are very few subscriptions to journals. It is not the research-friendly/oriented institute it claims to be as of this writing. Hopefully it improves.