Eighteen 9th Grade students from the SMA Muhammadiyah Special Program (Program Khusus/PK) Kota Barat Surakarta took part in the ‘Sit-in University’ program at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS). The program lasted for two weeks, beginning on Monday, November 11, 2024. The opening and handover session was held in Meeting Room 1, Soeharno TS Building, and attended by the FEB UNS leadership, Study Program Heads, teachers, and participating students.

Tastaftiyan Risfandy, S.E., M.Sc., PhD., Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Alumni of FEB UNS, expressed appreciation to the accompanying teachers and students for joining the program, particularly in the S-1 Study Programs of Accounting, Management, and Digital Business.

“We sincerely thank the teachers and students from SMA Muhammadiyah PK Kota Barat for joining this experience at FEB UNS. It’s a valuable opportunity for students to experience university life and be inspired for the future,” he said.

Tastaftiyan also provided a brief overview of student admissions and program competitiveness at UNS. He encouraged the students to consider the level of competitiveness of each Study Program, which can be accessed via spmb.uns.ac.id, as a reference in planning their university path. He added that starting next year, the Sit-in University program will be open to the public, and related announcements will be shared through official channels. “God willing, next year this program will be publicly available. Please stay updated through FEB’s Instagram account,” he concluded.

Following the Vice Dean’s remarks, the heads of the participating Study Programs provided an introduction to each program at FEB UNS. Meanwhile, Siyami Koestimawati, the supervising teacher from SMA Muhammadiyah PK Kota Barat, expressed gratitude for the opportunity given to her students. “We are very thankful to FEB UNS for allowing our students to learn and explore what FEB is like. The students joined the program voluntarily, and we truly appreciate the guidance provided,” she stated.

In addition to attending lectures, the 18 students were assigned to keep daily journals and observe student associations relevant to their chosen Study Programs. She added that since its first cohort, SMA Muhammadiyah PK has consistently participated in the ‘Sit-in University’ program each year, with FEB UNS being a constant destination due to high interest from students.

“Alhamdulillah, some of the students who joined this program in previous years were later admitted to FEB. That brings us great joy. We hope that students participating this year will also enroll in FEB and be accepted into the programs they aspire to in the next two years,” she concluded.