Probationary vs Regular Status during Admission in UPLB Graduate School

Based on the Student Handbook, admission statuses are:

Regular admission is offered to applicants whose academic records and supporting documents indicate that they qualified to undertake graduate study in their chosen field. On the other hand, Provisional admission is offered to applicants whose academic records and supporting documents indicate deficiencies but show promise of success in graduate study. Applicants must meet the specific admission requirements (including any English proficiency) before their provisional status can be changed to regular. An applicant who fails to meet the terms of provisional admission is disqualified from the intended program of study.

From my perspective and opinion, the only difference between the regular and probationary or provisional status is simply whether or not YOU, the graduate-student-to-be, will be doing part-time or full-time grad school studies. 

Should you get a provisional or probationary status, the provisions about the units (minimum 9 units to enroll on 1st sem) will not matter if you are planning to do full-time studies anyway. Persons who plan to do part-time working graduate studies are at a high disadvantage should they get a probationary or provisional admission status. 

The reason? This is highly dependent on the schedule. If you do get a probationary status, you need to ENROLL A MINIMUM OF 9 units on your first sem. This means three major subjects based on the rules. Depending on your major, these subjects have varying schedules of classes. Other courses have separate laboratory and lecture class schedules which may also include field visits. You need to get a GWA of 2.0 or better to be able to change your status.

If you are a part-time graduate student who is working. This might be difficult as you have to balance time. Not all professors give some considerations for working students, you just have to show up to class every time. You can only be excused a few times. This goes with other requirements and maybe some group work. This is why I look up to part-time graduate students who successfully balance their work and studies at the same time. I, myself, think that I will not be able to do that.

As for students who plan to do full-time graduate studies in UPLB, you really need not be worried whether or not you are regular or probationary/provisional in your admission status. Honestly, the way I see it, it is even more advantageous to be accepted as a probationary student in your first semester.

Here are my reasons:

1. You will not be required to submit, during your FIRST SEM, a plan of study and guidance committee form. The rules state that you must first pass at least 9 units and get a GWA of 2.0 or better. In short, you have to be in a regular status first.

Let me explain why this is advantageous. Simply, THIS WILL BUY YOU TIME. Since you are doing full-time studies anyway, go ahead and register the typical maximum load of 12 units. This will be equivalent to 4 subjects. This is manageable assuming you are a full-time student. Should you be on probation, no one stops you from enrolling 12 units since your minimum is 9 anyway. I did this during my 1st sem in my MS days even though I was on probation.

PROBATIONARY STATUS WILL BUY YOU TIME. Why? Because if you are accepted as a regular graduate student, you will have to submit in your 1st sem your plan of study and nomination of advisory committee form before the deadline. This rule introduces a certain amount of pressure on students who are new to their fields. New to the campus (UPLB). New to their respective colleges or divisions in which their majors are based. It takes time to familiarize yourself with the professors who handle your major and minor. Persons from outside UPLB and those who have low or zero prior knowledge about the network of people in their chosen major including professors' attitudes, work ethic, temperament, interests, etc. You may end up rushing if you are pressured.

This will not be an issue if, for example, you are a graduate of BS Agriculture Major in Swine Production in UPLB and then you decided to pursue MS in the same specific field in UPLB also. It is assumed that you already know the senior professors and the network of people in your division.

The biggest mistake you can make is to misjudge the ADVISER that you will pick. By misjudge, what I mean is that your expectation ends up being different from what actually took place. I will have another post on this. But to put it simply, you don't want to rush picking an adviser. You should spend time analyzing them and getting to know them and understanding their interests, standards, strengths, asking your classmates who may have other info, etc. You need to be in a good and professional relationship with your adviser. You should see eye to eye for the most part. This is the reason why buying time is important so you could make a better decision.

2. You need to spend at least half the semester being a student of a professor to actually see how he/she or is this person a good candidate for you as your adviser. You probably understand what I mean. You need time to screen possible advisers that you think can help you succeed and graduate. In addition to that, you need to pick two more (2 for MS, 3 or 4 for Ph.D.) members of your advisory committee. this is in addition to your adviser/chair of the advisory committee. I will also have another post on this as this will have some intricacies as well. You need to pick the other members of your advisory committee carefully as well.

Assuming you took the time to pick an adviser and other members of your advisory committee. The next step will be to consult your adviser on the subjects for your plan of study and the scheduling of these. Take note that the PLAN OF STUDY FORM and NOMINATION FOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR MASTERS/PHD is in the same form. So you have to submit them together.

Additional pressures to PhD students: They need to take the qualifying exam in their 1st sem as written on the student handbook:

This is required only for Regular PhD students during their first semester of enrollment. This serves as the basis for evaluating the student’s ability to pursue doctoral study and for determining a suitable program of coursework. If you are a Regular PhD student, you must receive not more than one negative vote from your Advisory Committee to pass the examination. If you fail the exam, no re-examination shall be allowed, except on the unanimous approval of your Advisory Committee. If you fail the re-examination, you shall be permanently disqualified from earning the degree.

3. The loophole here that benefits probationary/provisional PhD graduate students is that they will not be required to take the qualifying exam right away on their 1st sem since they are not even required to submit the plan of study and PhD advisory committee for yet since they are not yet REGULAR in their admission status. I am not sure about this but this is what happened to me and to a number of people that  I know. You need to be regularized first, nominate an adviser with committee members, and settle your plan of study BEFORE you apply for a qualifying exam. Also, the most obvious reason for this "loophole" is that nobody will handle your qualifying exam since you don't have a committee yet.

But then again, if you are accepted as regular. Just go on with it. It will be better for part-time students coz they can just enroll 6 units which is the normal load for working students. I know a friend who enrolls 3 units only since they are busy with work. It all depends on your priorities and situation.

4. Overall, the probationary status buys time that is needed to get to know your professors. Digest the subject matter and various topics in your field and finally decide on your plan of study and committee members.

I highly suggest that you take the full-time route, if possible. For MSc., you only need two years or four semesters and/or one midyear/summer to graduate assuming you do full-time studies in UPLB. The assumption here is that you are at pace with deadlines and your thesis. If everything is well, two years is just enough for masters in UPLB.

I will end this here now. I veered off-topic again. So there, hope you get the difference.