Semarang (19/5) – The Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia has announced a list of students from various universities in Indonesia who have passed the IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards) 2022 selection. Students who are recipients of the international scholarship program have the opportunity to continue their studies for one semester (4-6 months) at partner universities abroad. Data from the International Office (IO) of Diponegoro University (Undip) stated that there were 45 Undip students who passed as IISMA 2022 Awardees. Therefore, IO Undip held a Welcoming Session for IISMA 2022 Awardees online via Zoom meeting at 02:00 AM by inviting three experienced Undip students who have become IISMA Awardees in the previous year, with the aim of giving an overview of life while participating in IISMA.
Anggun Puspitarini Siswanto, S.T., Ph.D. as the Chair of IO Undip congratulated the students who passed IISMA 2022. “You are the chosen ones because the host university makes a ranking from the list of student recommendations, then directly selects students to continue their studies there,” said Anggun.
In addition to providing new experiences for students because they have the opportunity to continue their studies abroad, IISMA learning outcomes can be converted into 5th or 7th semester transcripts at the home university. 45 Undip students who became IISMA 2022 Awardees include students from the Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Public Health, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, and Faculty of Engineering.
Irene, an Undip Medical Faculty student who was once an IISMA Awardees at the University of Pecs, Hungary, shared her memorable experience while living in Hungary. “All the scenery there is good, and we can travel around Europe without a VISA so that the cost of travel is cheaper. We can also get cheaper travel tickets during the holiday season,” said Irene.
Had a similar experience, Muh. Raihan, an Undip Faculty of Law student who had the opportunity to study at Boston University, United States, also enjoyed traveling while studying in other countries. “Don’t live in your head. We can explore and travel to many fun places. Just go with the flow, don’t overthink a lot,” he said to fellow colleagues who are going to study abroad.
Meanwhile Gabriella, an Undip FSM student studying at Daugavpils University, Latvia shared her experience which was a little difficult at the beginning because she was placed in a country where the main language is not English. “In the beginning I had a lot of difficulties because they used their native language, that’s the beginning when I started to learn Russian and Latvian so that I could communicate everyday. However I’m very happy to live there, not a lot of people have been there but it feels like I got a medal,” Gabriella said.
Apart from studying, visiting interesting places while abroad is a must. “It’s okay to travel but remember to use the money as best you can. The money allowance must be enough because if it is not enough, it is impossible for a departure VISA to be approved,” said Anggun.
“It’s gonna be fun, don’t panic because IO will definitely help. Communication skills, teamwork, and public speaking are good. But the most important thing is manners, so don’t forget to be polite wherever you are,” Anggun said to the students.
Diastama Anggita Ramadhan, LLM., Deputy Chairperson of IO Undip added, “The awardees need to cooperate with each other in preparing departure requirements. Enjoy the process and you will be very happy.” (Titis – Public Relations)
