“To study abroad” must be listed on the student’s mindset

Note : Already published in Warta Unsyiah Magazine January 2019 edition. For more info : http://humas.unsyiah.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Warta-Januari-2019.pdf

Be an undergraduate student is one of the top priorities of the student in order to reach the future’s target, which is to find the job. To finish your study, you need to fulfill your priority, which is to study hard and be a part of social activity. But nowadays, when you want to find the job, your CV will be a part of the biggest criteria in order to make you be a part of the shortlisted candidates. In order to modify your CV, you need a lot of experiences and achievements in many segments, including internship and international activity, just like international exchange and master program. It sounds difficult to get that, but if you believe you can, you will.

I am Intan Destia Helmi, now I study in Lithuania as an exchange program from Education Exchange Support Foundation. This is my first time to be in Europe and need to adapt in many situations, including study environment, food, etc. Before I decide to join this program, I thought that my ambition to study abroad would be achieved when I decide to take master degree, but luckily, I went to Europe faster than what I expected. People might think that to join exchange program will cost a lot, including living expense, tuition fee, currency, etc., but nowadays, there are some of the exchange program which the fee will be covered by the scholarship, and the program that I join now is one of those. The things which you need to prepare only English skill, readiness, and some of the files including motivation letter, recommendation letter from the lecture, and other college stuff like letter of verification, passport, etc. People might feel like lazy of doing those stuff because it will cost your time a lot. But believe me, what you have done will gain you something extraordinary after.

Before you decide to take the master degree abroad, it will be better for you to take the exchange program in order to prepare yourself to be the real master student. You will stay for more than a year to finish your master program, so you need to be aware about international environment before you are in the real condition. Like me now, I learn a lot how the way adapt myself in East Europe. I need to arrange my time wisely to decrease any matter which will appear, for example like prayer time. In East Europe, the prayer time is quite complicated comparing to our country, Indonesia. Dzuhur prayer is about 13.34, Ashar Prayer is about 17.54, Maghrib is about 21.48, Isya is about 00.02, and Shubuh is about 02.47. With following this pray time, my sleeping time is decrease. I can sleep after Isya prayer, and need to wake up again in shubuh prayer. Then I need to wake up at 7 to start cooking (because we need to aware with Europe food as a moslem) and prepare for everything before I go to study. To keep healthy in Europe region, I need to take a rest at least one hour in the afternoon, and prepare many vitamins to support my nutrition. My study starts at 9 am, so I need to be ready at 08.30 and take a walk for about 25 minutes. With those condition, people might think that it is hard to be the international student. But believe me, this condition prepares you to be somebody wonderful. You will be wiser and smarter in arranging everything, and be more global in fixing stuff. The way to study in Europe is very modern and easy to understand. The study mode is very interesting and will not make student easy to get bored. The clean air, the clean and beautiful environment, neat traffic, and tolerance citizen will make you get used easily with the condition. And one point is, Europe is not that big. Thus, it will be able to travel for more than one country with one visa, with the cheap price, and a short departure time, just like you travel one island. What are you waiting for? list “study abroad” in your note now 😊