by Aubrey Jill Ledesma
What do you need to know about GAS?
No, we are not talking about combustible gas or any substance here. What I am referring to is the K-12 academic track for Senior High School!
What is GAS?
General Academic Strand or GAS takes a generalist approach in preparing students for college. It covers various subjects which makes it an ideal avenue for them to discover their passion and field of interest for their holistic development.
What makes it interesting is that it is the most flexible strand among the four strands offered in the Academic Track, because students get to learn and experience something from all the other academic strands:
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.
The Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) strand would focus on the basic concepts of financial management, business management, corporate operations, and all things that are accounted for.
This strand focuses on the study of human behaviour and societal changes, analysis of arts, culture, literature, and politics. This strand is designed for students who would want to engage in a college degree on liberal arts and education.
Since GAS covers some core subjects of other strands, this means that GAS students are groomed as professionals who serve people through ideas and communication. so it is a win-win situation!
Advantages of Being a GAS Student
- Since GAS is not focused on only one specific path, it provides you with a number of opportunities after you graduate;
- It offers a general preparation of all courses where you can: hone you creative writing skills, learn about organization and management, learn about ICT, gain knowledge of disaster readiness and risk reduction, develop your communication skills, and others.
- You will meet various types of people who bring their different strengths and perspectives to the table.
- The GAS makes the most versatile students since the teachers and facilitators are always up to something.
- Taking GAS allows you to discover who you are and what you can be.
Why is GAS the best option for you?
General Academic Strand provides several opportunities for students who are still unsure of what course to pursue in college.
Challenges and the ‘struggle is real’ are always present. We will always deal with pain and discomfort when learning because that is what we are wired to be. However, the trade-off is how we can discover our potentials and find our nature when setting true disciplines to others as well as ourselves. This is how GAS molds the students especially on what degree programs they can excel the best.
The GAS class is normally made up of a diverse group of people who are eager to share new discoveries. If you hate numbers in junior high, the next math class in senior high could pique your interest in numbers. That is, in reality, one of the most significant benefits of choosing GAS over the other Senior High School strands.
It provides a student a lot of opportunities to discover his/her own strengths as well as new insights on the new way of learning from its diverse subject matter. This opportunity will hopefully prepare a student for college, as well as the real world, which will occur shortly after graduation.
Can you see how amazing that is? You will not be pressured to take something you knew you can’t commit your whole life into.
However, the heart candy’s surprise center may not appear this time. Some schools offer bridging programmes. This happens when you realized that the strands you took did no longer fit the courses you want in a college, or a SHS strand mismatch. This does not only happen to GAS students but also to other students who belong to other tracks, too.
But don’t panic! You don’t need to worry about it because it is more like a set of remedial courses. In some cases, these remedial courses are given only over a few weeks. They are required to take additional subjects in order to “demonstrate the competencies” required of a graduate of a strand aligned with the course.
Nevertheless, do not be pressured about taking bridging programmes because it contributes to your learning as well as your self-development.
Intellectual Discrimination Against GAS Students or GAS Stereotypes
Students in the General Academic Strand (GAS) have a reputation for being unsure of their life course. It’s a big notion that people should have everything worked out in life at a young age.
This is now where misconceptions occur. As a result of other people’s way of thinking, they tend to bend facts unconsciously which they use the strengths of every strands to create a mental hierarchy that corresponds to their own version and meaning of intelligence.
These stereotypes lead to hierarchy. The hierarchy leads to discrimination. And discrimination leads to strand degrading.
Say for example: a student achieves high academic achievement, he/she is required to pursue either STEM or ABM. Also, an individual is supposed to be in HUMSS as a senior if he is good at speaking and has a good rapport. This is why people choose STEM and ABM as preferred strands because they believe they suit the strands at the top of the food chain— forming hierarchy as time passes.
So where does this put the other strands?
They say that GAS is for those who don’t know what they want to do in college yet, or whose academic ability isn’t satisfactory with any of the other strands, and are therefore ‘left’ or ‘tossed’ into GAS. This is why some people often conclude that GAS students are stupid and have no future plans. Some may not admit it, but this put discriminated students an uneasy feeling. Not just for GAS students, but also to other students too. Yes, they excel at different things and they’re very much proud of it, but to be questioned with your own skills and potentials are quite depressing.
But let me break this to you. In defense of GAS, undecided doesn’t mean unprepared.
This is something that few people seem to know: many GAS students either have too many desires, or simply see the strand as the best option since they are exposed to specialized subjects from all other strands. They are not stupid, “patapon,” irresponsible, unambitious or anything that an abusive and irrelevant person can come up to.
Let us break the stigma by learning to appreciate other people’s plans and priorities in life. We have no right to demand a thing with their lives and that is how it should be…
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people
Eleanor Roosevelt
SPREAD LOVE!
edited: I am now in my second year of college, and I am taking Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. I must say that it is really advantageous if you plan beforehand your strand. Well, it matters at first, especially during the first year. Everyone has already have a background of the topics, while you have no idea what is what; thus, the adjusting phase can be so depressing. Not that the subjects are hard, but it will test your grit and patience.
Everything may not go as planned, but don’t worry too much. In the end, you will all go back to square one. My sister said that to me, I believed her, and I’m really glad I did. Do not ever let your doubts and fears get ahead of you.
The Classy Classics 