Big school for Grade 1: Miriam College or Assumption Antipolo?

[tinmuning]

Big school hunting officially commenced in our household. I already submitted the requirements for admission to Grade 1 in Miriam College & Assumption Antipolo and I hope I get feedbacks for both schools.

I started a similar thread before but during that time, Assumption was not an option--it was either Miriam or ICA. However, reality bites and it seems that considering the traffic and distance from our house to San Juan, ICA won't be a suitable option after all.

Tuition-wise, there's a 20 thousand peso difference between AA & MC--Miriam being more expensive. Distance-wise, it seems that Miriam is much nearer, if not considering the horrendous traffic in the entire Katipunan stretch.

I just came from AA this morning and whoa, it was further than I thought!

Also, Grade 1 in AA is from 7:15 to 3:15, that means my daughter would spend the whole day in school while in MC, half day only.

Would appreciate any inputs. Thanks in advance.

[hunny_ally]

super far AA. my cousins went to AA. though they live in Masinag area only it takes them 15-30mins, depending on the traffic

[binggay]

 Hi Sis,

First-grader din pala next schoolyear ang daughter mo. So talaga palang start na ng application period sa Miriam. Ako din I might drop by next week to start the application process.

Ngayon ko lang nalaman na mas mahal pala ang Miriam sa Assumption (Antipolo lang ba? Mas mahal ba yung Assumption sa Makati?)

Anyway, I am still deciding if I will let my daughter apply sa Holy Spirit naman (in Ylang-Ylang New Manila). Tuition wise it's almost half of Miriam's. Kaya lang if I send naman my daughter to Miriam, mas convenient for us kasi her Kuya goes to Ateneo. Isang hatidan na lang sa umaga. Pero again, ang tuition, almost kalahati. Proximity-wise mas malapit-lapit sa bahay namin ang Holy Spirit pero since pupunta din naman ng Katipunan sa umaga eh di isahan na lang kesa mag-two cars pa kami kasi opposite direction.

Pero talaga sis, yung decision ko as to where to send my daughter for big school, pinagdadasal ko talaga ng maigi na tama maging desisyon ko.

If my daughter goes to Miriam, and your daughter does too, sana maging classmates sila.

[tinmuning]

super far AA. my cousins went to AA. though they live in Masinag area only it takes them 15-30mins, depending on the traffic

I know!  It was farther down MMLDC pa pala---I figured even if it's mas malayo, no traffic naman, but since Sumulong Highway not as narrow as Marcos Highway, one car na mag-stop, affected lahat ng nakabuntot sa kanya

If you don't mind me asking, how's the traffic in Sumulong Highway during rush hour--say 6:30am?

Hi Sis,

First-grader din pala next schoolyear ang daughter mo. So talaga palang start na ng application period sa Miriam. Ako din I might drop by next week to start the application process.

Ngayon ko lang nalaman na mas mahal pala ang Miriam sa Assumption (Antipolo lang ba? Mas mahal ba yung Assumption sa Makati?)

Anyway, I am still deciding if I will let my daughter apply sa Holy Spirit naman (in Ylang-Ylang New Manila). Tuition wise it's almost half of Miriam's. Kaya lang if I send naman my daughter to Miriam, mas convenient for us kasi her Kuya goes to Ateneo. Isang hatidan na lang sa umaga. Pero again, ang tuition, almost kalahati. Proximity-wise mas malapit-lapit sa bahay namin ang Holy Spirit pero since pupunta din naman ng Katipunan sa umaga eh di isahan na lang kesa mag-two cars pa kami kasi opposite direction.

Pero talaga sis, yung decision ko as to where to send my daughter for big school, pinagdadasal ko talaga ng maigi na tama maging desisyon ko.

If my daughter goes to Miriam, and your daughter does too, sana maging classmates sila.

Yes, they started accepting applicants around 2 weeks before. I need to come back with the accomplished Health Record they asked my daughters pediatrician to certify plus the recommendation letter from the school representative. Exams are scheduled around October pa daw--no exact date yet but I saw a notice in their bulletin board that the exam for Gr 1 is scheduled on Oct 15.

Yes, mas mahal ang tuition ng MC compared to Assumption Antipolo. In Assumption Makati, almost the same as MC din--around 80k++. If not for the traffic in Katipunan, it's a no-brainer choice.

If you decide to send your daughter in Miriam, I really hope that your daughter & mine become classmates para instant connection hehe. Oh and I agree that such decisions are lifted up to God for guidance. I'm like Lord, I know you have everything that is best for my daughter planned but this whole big school thing really stresses me out 

[hunny_ally]

I know!  It was farther down MMLDC pa pala---I figured even if it's mas malayo, no traffic naman, but since Sumulong Highway not as narrow as Marcos Highway, one car na mag-stop, affected lahat ng nakabuntot sa kanya

If you don't mind me asking, how's the traffic in Sumulong Highway during rush hour--say 6:30am?
 

that i have to ask my Tita. her bunso is still in grade school. But AA is a good school, ha? Her 2 older sisters are excelling now in college. One is UP architecture and is a consistent dean lister.

[ichelie]

here are some points about MC & AA, from an insiders point of view:
* academic, they seem to be of equal footing. 
*both schools are PAASCU accredited.  Miriam is level 3!
* Miriam is a much bigger school, in terms of population per level.  MC is about 10 class per level, AA has 4-5.  Students per class is the same.
*teacher's background and competency is just about the same. 
*AA is run by nuns, while MC is run by lay.  Both are Catholic schools, but AA is more heavy on religious practices since they are instilling the virtues of Mary and the teachings of Mary Eugene, the founder of the Assumption sisters. 
*Both schools are Green schools, meaning their advoacy is with the environment.   
*Both develop academically competent kids, especially in their communication.
* Both have very good parent groups. 
*classroom wise, both are non air conditioned, as they value the environment.  thats why both have big trees and wide spaces.
* kids wise, i observe the AA girls to be simpler. 
* both have very good socio-emotional programs - homeroom and guidance.  teachers and counselors are very hands on.
* AA has more intensive sessions for student enrichment, meaning speacial talks on self development,  especially their sexuality programs from Gr. 7 to HS.  I see this as commitment to raise girls in the Assumption values.
* MC does well in research, which is important for their continues program development.  they are heavy in establishing linkages, both here and abroad.  they regularly benchmark with other schools to see how well they are doing
* MC has a very good library and viewing room facilities, most classrooms have LCD projectors already. 

i can list a whole lot more... but my question is: WHAT IS YOUR TOP MOST VALUE AS A PARENT?
is it the school's academic program?  is it the distance?  is it their holistic development approach?  is it their religious upbringing/values?  Is it the school environment?  or how your child would fit and thrive in that school?
From what is important for you, then you can decide.  Its not just about the school, its more on what you value.  Schools have different values, mission and vision.  IMO, we choose the school base on what will fit our child's needs and what we believe in our family  Hope this helps!

[tinmuning]

UPDATE: My daughter passed both the AA and MC entrance exam for grade 1! Now we just need to choose

[mcuy]

Hi! in AA, what is the admission age for Gr.1?

[tinmuning]

^ 6 years and 6 months by June. My daughter fell short in age, she's going to be 6 years and 3 months lang but we were advised to go ahead and take the exam for grade 1. If she passes the test, then OK na.

[smoothie]

My daughter is studying in Miriam & I was a Miriam alumni as well. Aside from Miriam being my Alma Mater. We chose Miriam because of it's location and it's reputation.

I'm quite happy with how my daughter is doing in Miriam.
- Class size is around 30-35 people.
- They have lcd's already in their classrooms.
- With their batch, they started teaching Singapore Math
- Homeworks are lessened during weekends to be able to spend more time with the family
- Max of 3 tests/day

As for the dreaded traffic, I honestly haven't encountered it yet. I leave at around 6 AM (I'm from Mindanao Ave near Nlex) and I arrive in Miriam at around 6:10-6:15. There was also this one time I left around 6:15 and I arrived before 7.

[mcuy]

thanks sis tinmuning! same case pala mangyayari sa anak ko 6.3 din sya mag-grade 1 pero for S.Y.2013 pa naman hehe tagal pa..excited mom ako.

[binggay]

My daughter is studying in Miriam & I was a Miriam alumni as well. Aside from Miriam being my Alma Mater. We chose Miriam because of it's location and it's reputation.

I'm quite happy with how my daughter is doing in Miriam.
- Class size is around 30-35 people.
- They have lcd's already in their classrooms.
- With their batch, they started teaching Singapore Math
- Homeworks are lessened during weekends to be able to spend more time with the family
- Max of 3 tests/day

As for the dreaded traffic, I honestly haven't encountered it yet. I leave at around 6 AM (I'm from Mindanao Ave near Nlex) and I arrive in Miriam at around 6:10-6:15. There was also this one time I left around 6:15 and I arrived before 7.

What grade is your daughter now? So nag-start na rin pala mag-adapt ng Singapore Math ang Miriam. Yan ang isang worry ko noon, if my daughter pushed through with Miriam tapos nag start sa traditional math tapos biglang i-singapore math ng mga grade 3 or something.

Kasi my son goes to Ateneo. Very lucky kasi when he started prep there, singapore math na. Yung upper levels na nag-start sa traditional math tapos biglang nag-shift to singapore math, hirap na hirap daw. parang may narinig pa ako na some parents nag-pull out or nag-attempt i pull out kasi nga nahihirapan sa math yung mga bata.

[smoothie]

^grade 1. ang mangyayari ata sa batch nila mag start yung singapore math. for the upper batches traditional math parin.

[binggay]

UPDATE: My daughter passed both the AA and MC entrance exam for grade 1! Now we just need to choose

Hi sis, how was the Miriam entrance exam? Ano-ano ba ni-review mo sa daughter mo? Was there an interview? How long was the test? Sorry daming tanong, maga-apply din kasi bunso ko. =)

[funky f]

i'm glad i stumbled upon this thread.  i'm considering AA for my 2 girls though they're really young pa naman but i wanna "research" as early as now. 

[tinmuning]

Reserved at MC already. Enrollment is around March 2012. Simula na ng gastos!

[funky f]

i hope someone can share how much the tuition is for both schools =)

[smoothie]

for Miriam, it's around 90K. lahat na yung sis. books, tuition and misc.
if kasama uniforms, around 3.5 na pang 3 days and PE.

[hunny_ally]

^^based from a friend who's considering both schools for her nursery-aged daughter, mas mura ang AA compared to MC.

[funky f]

oo nga raw, sis...