To ascertain the country's delivery of high-quality education and thus ascend the global competitiveness of Filipino professionals worldwide, a new educational system was designed to be responsive to the precedingly specified present-time demands through the Philippine government's implementation of the Republic Act (R.A.) No. 10533, or the "Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013". Despite the benefits this law has offered, its legislation has undoubtedly posed diverse challenges to the students, such as the cases of strand-course mismatches among the tertiary students that incredibly induce several academic obstacles in the long run. In this study, the case of a mismatched student was investigated, including the challenges and coping mechanisms. The researchers employed a single case study and conducted an interview with a non-academic strand graduate of senior high school who enrolled in an education program at college. The data gathered were subsequently analyzed through the use of thematic analysis. Consequently, the conclusions were drawn based on the challenges identified by the participant, which included grappling with unfamiliar subject matter and falling behind her peers. The participant employed several coping mechanisms, including dedicating extra effort, creating a study plan, minimizing distractions, seeking support from friends, family, and mentors, and taking frequent breaks.