Rizal studied at Ateneo Municipal de Manila from 1872 to 1877, where he excelled academically, becoming the head of his class. He then studied philosophy and letters at the University of Santo Tomas from 1877 to 1882 but had an unhappy experience due to discrimination from Spanish professors and students. He left before completing his medical degree. Rizal also had several romantic relationships during this time. He then decided to continue his studies abroad in Spain with his family's support.

1. E. Rizal’s Higher
Education

2. Scholastic triumphs at the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila
• Took entrance examination in Colegio
de San Juan
de Letran but his
father decided to
study him in
Ateneo Municipal
de Manila (1872)

3. • Went to Ateneo but refused by
Fr. Magin Ferrando because of
being late in registration and his
size
• But finally enrolled through Fr.
Manuel Xeres Burgos
• He started to use
the surname “Rizal”

4. • Rizal lived in a boarding house in
Intramuros, then transferred to
Calle Caraballo in Sta. Cruz
• Enrolled the course “Bachelor of
Arts” (High school) in Ateneo
• During that time, “Jesuit System
of Education” divided in two
groups: “Romans”
(boarders) and
“Carthaginians”
(non-boarders)

5. *Ranking of two Atenean empires:
1. Emperor
2. Tribune
3. Decurion
4. Centurion
5. Standard-bearer
• Rizal became the
class “Emperor” of
Carthaginians

6. Rizal’s first year in Ateneo (1872-
1873)
He met his first professor, Fr. Jose
Bech whom he described as “tall, thin
man, with a body slightly bent forward,
a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe
and inspired, small deep-sunken eyes, a
sharp nose that was almost Greek,”
and others like Jose Villaclara, Augustin
Saez in drawing and painting, and
Romualdo de Jesus in sculpture.

8. He became the brightest pupil in the
whole class and was awarded with prize.
In order to improve his Spanish
speaking skills, he took private lessons
in Colegio de Santa Isabel during noon
breaks with the amount of three pesos.
At the end of his first year in Ateneo,
with all his grades marked as
“Sobresaliente,” but he placed second
(because of some remarks from his
professors on the second half of the
school year).

9. • Nothing usual happened during his
second year in Ateneo (1873-
1874) except for his regaining of
lost leadership in class. Then,
some of his new classmates were
his classmates in Biñan.
• He mastered 22 languages like
Arabic, German,
French, Latin,
Russian etc.

10. • Besides, in the summer vacation of
1874 his “teenage interest in reading”
started.
• He became interested in the novel
“Count of Monte Cristo,” the history
book “Travel in the Philippines” of Dr.
Feodor Jagor. Later, he also
persuaded his father to buy him the
Cesar Cantu’s “Universal History.”

11. Alexander Dumas Feodor Jagor

12. He always visited his mother in
prison cell during vacation.
Once, Teodora told her son about
her dream, then, Rizal interpreted
the dream that she would be
released from jail.
After three months, Rizal’s
prophecy happened when his mother
was set free and happily back in
Calamba.

13. • On his third year in Ateneo (1874-
1875) he only won one medal in Latin
but all his grades were in excellent.
• On his fourth year (1875-1876), he
became a Roman (Interno) because of
the help of Father Francisco de Paula
Sanchez (who inspired him to study
harder and to write poetry).
• In the end, he won five
medals and excellent ratings.

14. • His last year (1876-1877) was truly
remarkable as he touted as “the pride
of the Jesuits.”
• On his graduation, he received
highest grades in in all subjects with
an award of being the head of his
class with eight other students.
• In terms of his extra-curricular
activities in Ateneo, he became a
member of Marian Congregation,
Academy for Spanish Literature and
Natural Sciences.

15. • He also made two memorable
sculptures in the university, the first
was the image of Virgin Mary on a
Batikuling wood and the Sacred Heart
of Jesus requested by Fray Lleonart.

16. Gregorio Zaide mentioned some
anecdotes on Rizal’s life as Atenean,
First the anecdote when two Ateneans,
Manzano and Lesaca quarreled and
violently hurled books at each other.
The busy Rizal was hit in the face by
one of the thrown books, he remained
silent instead and his classmates
brought him to the clinic to undergo
medical treatment. After the incident,
Rizal continued to
attend his classes.

17. Another remembered anecdote of Rizal
was the time when Rizal helped Julio
Meliza, an Ilonggo to recover his kite
that was caught by the vines of Manila
Cathedral belfry despite the laughter
of bigger boys around the area.
This was happened during Rizal’s short
stay on Manuel Xeres Burgos’ house
before he became an Interno in
Ateneo.

18. *Rizal’s written poems in Ateneo:
1. “Mi Primera Inspiracion” *
2. “Felicitacion”
3. “El Embarque; Himno a la Flota de
Magallanes”
4. “Y Es Español; Elcano, el Primero en
dar la Vuelta al Mundo”
5. “El Combate; Urbiztondo, Terror de
Jolo.”

19. 6. “Un Recuardo a Mi Pueblo”*
7. “Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la
Buena Educacion”*
8. “Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la
Patria”*
9. “El Cautiverio y el Triunfo; Batalla
de Lucena y Prision de Boabdil”
10.“La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes
Catolices en Granada”

20. 11. “ “El Heorismo de Colon”
12. “Colon y Juan II”
13. “Gran Consuelo en la Mayor
Desdicha”
14. “Un Dialogo Alusivo a la Despedida
de los Colegiales”

22. • Met his first love,
Segunda Katigbak,
a classmate of his
Ate Ypia but after
few months, decided
to separate because
she was already in “fixed
marriage” with Manuel Luz

23. He met Segunda during his visitation to
his maternal grandmother who lived in
Trozo, Manila who also a guest on his
grandmother’s house.
Rizal came to know Segunda more
intimately during his weekly visits to
Olympia.
The two last talked on December 1877
he visited Segunda in La Concordia
College to bid his goodbye because he
was going to Calamba on the next day.

24. Medical studies and
unhappy days at the
University of Santo
Tomas

25. • Enrolled Philosophy
and Letters in UST
(1877-1878)
• Enrolled also in Ateneo
with the course “Perito
Agrimensor”
• Decided to shift in medical course
in the same school (UST) as
advised by Father Pablo Ramon

26. • Passed the licensing exam in Land
Surveying (1878) but granted his
license in 1881
• Rizal paid court to a young woman in
Calamba whom he called as “Miss L,”
a woman with fair with seductive and
attractive eyes. Nobody today knows
who this woman was,
in fact, he suddenly
stopped his wooing and
the romance died.

27. • Met also two “Leonors” who became also
his love affairs:
• The first Leonor, Leonor Valenzuela
(Orang) was met by Rizal when he started
to board in the house of Doña Concha
Leyva in Intramuros where the mentioned
Leonor who was from Pagsanjan, Laguna
lived also near there.
• He courted her through invisible ink
(1878) and usually visited her during
parties sponsored by Valenzuela family
but their love did not last because he still
in love with Segunda.

28. Leonor Rivera, the second Leonor was his
third cousin from Camiling, Tarlac who
became his true love during his third year in
UST.
They met because Rizal transferred to “Casa
Tomasina” in No. 6 Calle Santo Tomas in
Intramuros which was owned by his land-lord
uncle, Antonio Rivera.
Leonor Rivera was described by Rizal as a
pretty girl with tender as a budding flower
with kindly, wistful eyes. Rizal called her
“Taimis” but he left her in May 1882 to
study abroad.
Consequently, Rivera as convinced by her
family to marry Charles H. Kipping, a Steam
Engineer in Dagupan (June 1890).

30. Charles Henry Kipping

31. • Rizal had a friend named Jose M.
Cecilio (Chenggoy) who became his
confidant in courting the two
ladies before.
La Concordia College,
Sta. Ana, Manila
where Leonor Rivera
studied.

32. Gregorio Zaide: “When Rizal was a
freshman medical student at UST, he
experiences his first taste of Spanish
brutality. One dark night in Calamba,
during the summer vacation in 1878, he
was walking in the street. He dimly
perceived the figure of a man while
passing him. Not knowing the person but
to darkness, he did not salute nor say a
courteous “Good evening.” The vague
figure turned out to be lieutenant of the
Guardia Civil. With a snarl, he turned upon
Rizal, whipped out his sword and brutally
slashed the latter on the back.”

33. • He participated the contest of Liceo
Artistico-Literario when he wrote the
first Spanish poem written by Filipino
“La Juventud Filipina” in 1879 and won
the said contest with the prize of
silver pen, feather-shaped and
decorated with a gold ribbon.

34. • On the following year, the same
contest was held for Filipinos and
Spaniards. He participated and won
the literary contest with his entry
“El Consejo delos Dioses.” But
before he get the gold ring prize,
he experienced several objections
because he was an Indio.

35. • In summer vacation of 1881, Rizal and
his sisters Saturnina, Maria and Trinidad
went to a pilgrimage for Birhen Maria de
los Dolores at Pakil, Laguna through a
casco. They stayed on the house of Mr.
and Mrs. Manuel Regalado.
• Through those days in Pakil, Rizal was
fascinated by the
famous Turumba
festival.

36. • Rizal on his diaries mentioned that he
was infatuated with a lady named
Vicenta Ybardolaza at the Regalado
family’s house.
• After several days, Rizal and his
sisters went to Pagsanjan
to see the famous
Pagsanjan Falls.

37. Apart from, Rizal became a “Champion of
Filipino Students” in UST as they
experienced frequent fights against
arrogant Spanish students.
In 1880, Rizal founded a group of Filipino
UST students called “Compañerismo” with
his cousin, Galicano Apacible as his
secretary.
One time, in a brawl happened in Escolta,
Rizal wounded on the head. Then, he was
brought to his boarding house in Casa
Tomasina and his girlfriend Leonor Rivera
washed and dressed his wound.

38. Rizal once referred on his diary,
“unhappy days at UST” because; (1) the
Dominican professors were hostile to
him, (2) the Filipino students were
racially discriminated against by the
Spaniards, and (3) the method of
instruction was obsolete and repressive.
This experiences were reflected on the
Chapter 13 of his El Filibusterismo (The
Class in Physics).

39. Rizal decided to leave the university in
1882 with his fourth year (with 19
finished subjects) of his medical course
because he could no longer endure the
rampant bigotry, discrimination, and
hostility of Dominican professors in the
university.
Paciano readily approved his studying in
Spain as well as his sisters Saturnina
and Lucia and his
Uncle Antonio Rivera.

41. “Ang kasaysayan ay hindi basta-basta
kuwento, mayroon itong metodo.
Magtanong…
Mag-imbestiga…
Magkumpara…”
-Prof. Xiao Chua

42. Thank you!
YOSEF ERIC C. HIPOLITO, LPT, MA
Bachelor of Arts in History
Yosefhipolito19@gmail.com