José Rizal enrolled in Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1872 and excelled academically. Over four years, he consistently obtained marks of "Excellent" in all subjects, won several medals, and was considered the pride of the Jesuits at Ateneo. He studied a range of subjects including Latin, Spanish, Greek, mathematics, philosophy, science, and poetry. Rizal also engaged in other activities like gymnastics, painting, sculpture, and was a talented writer, producing short stories and dialogues. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors in 1877.

1. ASSIGNMENT NO. 2 RODRIGUEZ, Luzille, A.
April 14, 2016 2nd
year BS Accountancy
“La Juventud Filipino”
Ang Batang Rizal
sa ATENEO Municipal de Manila
When the Jesuits returned to the Philippines in 1859, their mission was to work in
Mindanao. They were persuaded by the City of Manila to run the Escuela
Municipal de Manila, a public primary school. The school was renamed Ateneo
when it began offering secondary education in 1865. Incidentally, they also started
a second school, the Escuela Normal, to train teachers for the public schools.
In the beginning, the Ateneo accepted only Filipinos (Spaniards born in
the Philippines). Later they accepted also Indios. One such was Jose
Protacio Mercado. But he enrolled under the name Jose Protacio Rizal, at the
advice of his family.
1st
year in Ateneo: Emergence in the Class as Emperor
The first professor Jose had was Fr. Jose Bech, whom he describes as a man of high stature; lean body, bent
forward; quick gait; ascetic physiognomy, severe and inspired; small, sunken eyes; sharp Grecian nose; thin lips
forming an arch with its sides directed toward the chin." He was somewhat of a lunatic and of an uneven humor;
sometimes he was hard and little tolerant and at other times he was gay and playful as a child.
As a newcomer, Jose was at first put at the tail of the class, but he was soon promoted and kept on being
promoted so that at the end of one month he had attained to the rank of Emperor. At the end of the term he
obtained marks of excellent in all the subjects and in the examinations. He had reason to feel proud of his
advancement; and so when he went home on vacation that year, he ran alone to see his mother in the prison and
tell her the happy news.
2nd
year in ateneo:
The second year, Jose had the same professor as in the previous year; At first, he boarded in the houses in
Intramuros or with relatives on his mother’s side. He was free to do what he wanted, socializing etc. But he
decided to enroll as a boarder, knowing what this meant. A restricted life, regulated by bells, telling when to
eat, when to rest, when to study. In the study room, he could get free help and individual tutoring from
Jesuits prefects. He learned how to concentrate, to compete against himself. Because knew how to utilize ad lib
(free) time, he did not waste time. By being bound, he became free, free of laziness, of bad habits. He became
the Filipino he expected others to be before demanding independence. He lived it.
By this he became free to free others. By living a disciplined life, he could do many things. At the end of the
term he obtained a medal, and upon returning to his town, he again visited his mother in jail alone. This was
three months before her release.
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2. 3rd
year in ateneo Sustained Brilliant Scholastic Record and Exploratory Leisure to
the Reading of Novels
The rejoicing that her release produced in his spirit had much influence on the result
of his studies in the third year, for he began to win prizes in the quarterly
examinations.
About that time he devoted himself to reading novels, and one of those he enjoyed
most was Dumas’ (father) The Count of Monte Cristo. The sufferings of the hero of
the twelve years. He also asked his father to buy him a copy of The Universal History
by Cesar Cantanu
The family, who saw in Jose great aptitude for study, decided to place him as intern
or boarding student in the college the following year. In the corner of the dormitory
facing the sea and the pier Jose passed his two years of internship.
4th year in Ateneo: Two Years in College
In the fourth year of his course he had Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez as professor. Jose describes him as a
model of rectitude, a solicitude, and love for the student. With the professor’s aid rizal studied mathematics,
rhetoric, and Greek; he must have progressed much, for at the end of the year he-obtained five medals, which
pleased him immensely because with them I could repay my father somewhat for his sacrifices.
His aptitude for poetry revealed itself early, and from that time on he did not cease to cultivate it. An incident
which demonstrates Jose’s independence of character took place at this time. Fr. Leoncio Lopez, parish priest
of the town, who was a great friend of his father, also liked Jose as a little friend. He was cultured but at the
same time timid and tender. One day Jose’s mother showed Father Lopez a poem of his young friend and that
the latter must have copied it from a book. Jose, who heard this, answered the priest violently, for which his
mother reprehended him. Afterward Father Lopez came to know from the Jesuits themselves that Jose was a
pupil who excelled in poetry; and, in spite of his age, made a trip to Manila expressly to apologize to Jose. That
gesture of Father Lopez’ won him Jose’s esteem and they became good friends again, lending each other the
books they had.
5th year in Ateneo: Completon of Bachelor of Arts
In the fifth years Jose had other professors: Frs. Vilaclara and Mineves. He studied philosophy, physics,
chemistry, and natural history, but his devotion to poetry was such that his professor in philosophy advised him
once to leave it, which made him cry. But in his rest hours he continued cultivating the Muses under the
direction of his old professor, Father Sanchez. Jose had then written a short story (leyenda), which was only
slightly corrected by his professor, and a dialogue, which was enacted at the end of the course, alluding to the
collegians’ farewell. However, philosophy, just and serve, inquiring into the wherefores of things, interested
him as much as poetry; physics, drawing back the veil that divine drama of nature was enacted.

3. Jose was considered small of stature and he tried to correct this defect by applying himself regularly to
gymnastics in the college. He also engaged in other physical exercises, such as fencing.
He also devoted time to painting and sculpture. In drawing and painting he was under the guidance and
direction of the Ateneo professor, the Peninsula Don Augustin Saez, who honored him with his affection and
consideration because of his progress. In sculpture his instructor was a Filipino, Romualdo de Jesus, who
felt proud in the last years of his life of having had such an excellent pupil.
The four years in the Ateneo were a continuous pageant of brilliant scholastic triumphs, which
made José Rizal the pride of the Jesuits. Here is his record:
1872 Arithmetic . . . . . . . . . . . .Excellent
1872-3 Latin 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Greek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
1873-4 Latin 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Greek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
1874-5 Latin 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Greek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
General History . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Hist. of Spain and Phil. . . . . . . Excellent
Arithmetic and Algebra . . . . . . Excellent
s
1875-6 Rhetoric and Poetry . . . . Excellent
French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Geometry and Trigonometry . . . Excellent
1876-7 Philosophy 1 . . . . . . . . Excellent
Mineralogy and Chemistry . . . . Excellent
Philosophy 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Physics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Botany and Zoology. . . . . . . . . Excellent
Bachelor in Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent