Gone are the days when computers were only for those with glasses and braces… No longer are the words megabyte and megahertz uttered only by engineers, whence the rest of us use mega only when referring to Gabby Concepcion"s ex. This doesn’t happen anymore, at least not in UP Diliman… In the west wing at the second floor of the College of Engineering lies two large tables, several benches and close to seventy young men and women from all over the university, and mind you, not all of them wear glasses or braces. This is the UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES COMPUTER SOCIETY.

Being a duly recognized student organization, UP Compsoc involves itself in seminars, forums and tutorials, all geared towards indulging the members" common interest – computing and information technology. It is well-known for sponsoring TRIVBITS, a trivia quiz show that not only lets contestants showcase their knowledge of programming and technical skills with the contest"s hi-tech presentation. In keeping up with the Internet-age, UP Compsoc also holds the Webmaster"s Challenge, a webpage design competition open to all amateur webbies. With the success of the first Webmaster"s Challenge held last school year, UP Compsoc wishes to hold an even bigger event this year. With these contributions to its members and the community, UP Compsoc is now one of the most recognizable organizations in the University.

The UP Computer Society was started by eight Electrical and Electronics Engineering students in August, 1981. It began with the simple vision of being a venue for sharing information among people interested in computers. It was the first organization formed for such thrust.

At present, this humble society has grown into a university-wide organization. Sportsfests are held several times within the year. It has its own choir and a dance group that have won awards in contests held in and out of the college. It also holds an outreach at least once a year. Recently, the members have been involved in the Freshmen Orientation Program Committee (FOPC), helping other UP organizations in welcoming the new batch of freshmen. These activities and more are held to cater to the members" other interests. UP Compsoc is likewise a founding member of SPECS (Society of Philippine Engineers and Computer Scientists).

But at the end of the day, UP Compsoc is simply one big barkada, with members of all sizes and shapes. And yes, we still talk about Sharon Cuneta sometimes.