My journey : An Awardee

Today, suddenly I want to write about my experience to pass LPDP scholarship stage.

I always feel inferior into myself, because I often met someone with outstanding level of their ability. However, there was one day, when I went back info my undergraduate campus, I met my former supervisor. I told him about my experience to be master student and shortly, I explain to him that I always being shy, feel inferior and other negative thinking because I ever met great people. He just ask me, ‘are you not special? Have you ever look at yourself, have you ever felt success? Why you don’t proud about what you have achieved? Strange’. It stabbed me so hard and He was right. So, I consider to write my story about LPDP because it’s one of my barrier, I always won’t to be labeled as an awardee because I don’t look like an awardee, I mean, I have no special ability compared to another awardee, but now, I understand that everyone has their weakness and neither to me. I should break this barrier and proud about myself.

So, it’s been a long journey before I obtain this scholarship. First of all, I was weird since I joined in UGM as student. As long as I know, when everyone enter the university because they want to study maybe, it’s a way to have great job or anything, I became a student because I want to study again. I don’t know, I have a dream to study in Europe. Thus, enter the best university was a first step to reach that dream. 

First, I already aims my target since my first day in university, STUDY ABROAD. Unfortunately, it was a great challenge here, I often forgot my orientation. 4 years in university, I can’t fully utilize it to archive my dream. Sometimes, I face a hard lecture, felt lazy and so on. It wasn’t as smooth as I imagine, but a sheer way. After my bad day in the first couple year in university, I have bad grade and suddenly I remember about my goal again. Gradually, I study hard and my grade significantly increasing, even though it wasn’t good yet, but for me, it was an outstanding achievement. As time passed by, perfectly I defend my undergraduate thesis, and I thought it was a good step to hardly pursue my dream again.

I have 2 choices, having a job first or straight applying into scholarship. After profoundly consider it, I decided to choose what was came first haha. Yes, I was offered a short period job in multinational consultant. In my opinion, the period to apply scholarship was still 3 month ahead, so I decide to have an experience by worked into company and at the same time I prepare my scholarship requirement. It wasn’t a fault, it was match with my prediction. I have many experience and by working was forcing me to open my vision wider than before. So, it would be a good stock for me. 

Second, after I finished my work, then I focus into fulfil the academics need according to scholarship and university entry requirement. I took English class, scheduling to take English test periodically, make a study plan perfectly, improving my speaking skills by attending international university seminar or make a small group to study English together, and shortly, in this period I collect all the data about scholarship, university, lecturing material, thesis planning and so on as many as possible. After I collect them, I made a SWOT analysis to determine which one is appropriate with my goal. After that, I met my lecture and everyone who already experience study abroad or a scholarship awardee to let me know how the real condition when I already obtain scholarship/study.

Third, actually I was applying not only LPDP scholarship, but also other several scholarship. But, I fail (mostly) due to an English skills and another consideration that I don’t know. So, I focus into LPDP scholarship. My effort wasn’t to hard because I already prepare everything I need like my explanation before. In this phase, my preparation just focus on how to prepare the every step of LPDP test.

Administration

For the essay, how to make a good essay, I already train my skill when I took IELTS class, and I think it was adequate to make a good essay. First tips, don’t be a liar. I never lie when I write an essay, I just write what I’ve been done and what I will do in the future. So there’s no special trick for me, because I already set my goal a long ago and this time I just summarize it.

Essay on the spot

Just make sure that you’re have an attention of your surroundings. I don’t like to read a newspaper because the content isn’t good, so many bad news and I just don’t like the media because it was filtrated by political agenda. But, for an essential issue, such as reclamation or major issue in Indonesia, I have a Principe, at least I must know a bit. So, because of this test, I force to read so many news than before ha ha. Make sure, when you write your essay, pay attention to its structure and how well organize your idea, started from general idea into conclusion. Your argument must be logic and don’t go wide from the main idea.

Focus group discussion

From what I know, there are 4 steps when having conversation with other, listen, listen, listen and speak. In this step, actually I don’t understand about the discussion topic, sure. However, I am just be careful with my attitude. Please don’t be arrogant and forcing your will into another, don’t break when someone still in their speech. In this phase, I am just waiting for perfect opportunity. The instructor gave us a time to discuss and preset the final words. In the early discussion, mostly everyone want to give their opinion as soon as possible. Like my previous experience, when the discussion began, some people scramble each other to give an argument. I thought it was perfect moment, I raise my hand right after the chaos and organize the way of discussion. I play role as a moderator and then I point another to be “notulen” (what is notulen in English haha) and so on. So with this strategy, I have much time to listen their argument and compile them, which side should be accepted and which side should be improved. I think it was perfect role but it would be better if we have deep argument. Please, pay attention to your discussion ATTITUDE.

Interview

There are two things should be prepared, what is your study objective and what would you do during your study? And what would you do after study?. Prepare the best and realistic answer to answer those question, of course according to your capacity. Again, don’t lie! Be confident with your answer. Make a good attitude into the interviewer.

Insanely, I was accepted for being an awardee.

Fourth, prepare everything related to your study and grant every promise that you’ve been made during scholarship test.

Hopefully, this journey help you and can inspire you. I am not an outstanding person, there lied much sky above sky. However, I just share what I pass and may help you to archive another phase. 

Sincerity.