FEB UNS – Chelsea Nadia Maharani and Raida Raisa Pari, Undergraduate Students in Development Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) passed the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) 2024 Program. Both of them managed to pass the rigorous selection process along with 25 other UNS students. In this program, Chelsea Nadia Maharani chose Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic, while Raida chose Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia.

IISMA is a Kampus Merdeka program providing a scholarship scheme from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, which provides funding for Indonesian students to study in a one-semester mobility program at leading universities and industries abroad. This year, IISMA selection registration is open from 23 January – 19 February 2024 involving multiple selection stages including administrative selection, nationalism examination, and interviews.

The IISMA preparation series at UNS begins with an internal screening that selects students who are interested in participating in IISMA. From the internal screening process carried out by the International Office (IO), students who pass the previous selection stage will take part in the preparation of the English Proficiency Test (EPT) at the Language Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) covering 20 training sessions.

Students who get EPT scores that meet the IISMA standards can follow the preparation for essay writing, preparation for interviews, and mentoring by IISMA alumni. Assistance by IISMA alumni is carried out during the registration process until the completion of the interview selection. To feb.uns.ac.id, Chelsea and Raida shared their stories on how they passed the qualification selection for IISMA 2024.

Chelsea Nadia Maharani: Don’t Be Afraid to Try Everything New

Chelsea said that her desire to participate in the IISMA program started in the 4th semester. According to her, this program can be a suitable path for her to be able to learn and have an impact, both for personal development and even the surrounding environment.

The purpose of this program itself according to Chelsea is excellent because it opens opportunities for Indonesian students to gain knowledge and experience in studying abroad, which can later be implemented for the development of Indonesia. “I personally feel that there are several stages of registration that are quite tricky. It is necessary for us to commit to completing all the preparation and registration because there are quite a few required documents to be prepared. But because I was in a fairly supportive environment, I always felt motivated during the preparations,” she said.

Furthermore, the reason for choosing Palacky University Olomouc was because Chelsea had previously planned her career path in the future. “The host university that I choose is already on the top list of host universities I would like to take since last year because the courses offered can support my career in the future,” she said.

Chelsea also advised her fellow students, as written in her essay as one of the IISMA requirements, “Life is just like a box of chocolate, you never know what flavor you get unless you try it first,” -Forest Gump. Take advantage of all the opportunities around you. Because, personally, I believe every academic and organizational activity can offer you a completely different experience and knowledge. So, don’t be afraid to try all new things,” she concluded.

Raida Raisa Pari: That Challenge Can Be an Opportunity to Grow and Learn

The desire to attend IISMA actually arose from the beginning of her study because the opportunity to study abroad was very interesting, but Raida could only register for this opportunity in the 6th semester. According to her, one of the difficulties during the IISMA registration is the number of administrative documents that must be completed. This is because Raida had a short time when she wanted to register for IISMA, and it coincided with her internship in Jakarta. Additionally, the stage that she found difficult was the interview. Fortunately, UPT KLI provided a Zoom meeting to prepare for the interview and it really helped her to practice the interview.

“Because of the limited time, I didn’t have much time to prepare myself, especially when doing English tests, so I could only rely on my past knowledge and memory. As for interview preparation, from the day before, I had practiced answering several questions and did not forget to also pray and make a mental preparation,” she explained.

Universiti Sains Malaysia has a good university ranking and its location in Penang makes it more attractive. Raida chose Malaysia because of its proximity to Indonesia and similar demographics. As a Muslim student, Raida thought that Malaysia would be the right country because it would definitely be easy to find places of worship and halal food.

Raida advised that students who want to register for IISMA can prepare themselves from the previous year, thus they will not miss information, because UNS conducted an internal screening stage for applicants. Then you should also prepare well to take the English test because the cost is not cheap. If possible, do not repeat the test for technical reasons (especially if you choose the DET test).

“Keep believing in your potential and remember that every challenge can be an opportunity to grow and learn,” Raida concluded encouragingly.