THE competitive and life-changing University of the Philippines College Admission Test (Upcat) was first administered in 1968. Before that, getting into UP required only a high school final grade of 85 percent and an exam to test your English aptitude, alumnus and former teacher Pedro “Edru” Abraham told The Manila Times.

In this interview, Abraham — retired professor of Arts Studies and more popularly known as founder of UP’s resident ethnic music and dance ensemble Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (Kontra-GaPi) — recalled his years at the country’s top university and what he has learned as student and teacher.