Rizal enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas in 1877 to study philosophy and letters, and later medicine, following the advice of Father Pablo Ramon. As a student, he experienced racial discrimination from Spanish professors and faced hostility as a Filipino. He decided to continue his studies abroad in Spain after finishing his fourth year in medical school, supported by his brother Paciano, sisters Saturnina and Lucia, Uncle Antonio Rivera, and the Valenzuela family, though without informing his parents or Leonor Rivera of this decision.