UNAIR NEWS – Getting the opportunity to study abroad through the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program has made Yosua Putra Iskandar, a student of the Faculty of Law (FH) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), grateful. Since the beginning of college, this student from Surabaya has wanted to experience studying abroad.
Yosua believed that studying abroad would give him a lot of experience and new knowledge. “Since the first year of my study, I have really wanted to join an exchange program because it seems to be interesting and able to give a good opportunity for self-development. I can learn the education system in another country and get education experience as well as a valuable network,” he explained.
Through the IISMA program, Yosua and other awardees are allowed to take courses that are not linear with their majors. “The freedom to take nonlinear courses allows me to explore other things such as economics and personality psychology. The fun things are that all courses are multidisciplinary and that I get international exposure,” he said.
After leaving for Pécs, Hungary, last September, Yosua has experienced a language barrier. “Because in Europe, most people don’t speak English but their mother tongue. Therefore, even when in supermarkets, the written language is still Hungarian,” said the student who is active in the International Law Student Association (ILSA). In addition, he should adapt to the taste of food in Hungary, which is more bland than Indonesia. Yosua also faces the abrupt weather changes.
Yosua admitted that the university and faculty fully support him in carrying out one of the Merdeka Campus programs. “Everything is supported and accommodated by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the university, especially Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE), and the faculty. They kept my documents in check and provided me tips for the program,” said the student who wants to have a career in the international organization.
For fellow students who want to participate in IISMA in the next batch, the 2018 student gave tips on how to have a relationship with the previous batch of IISMA participants. “In my opinion, apart from preparing essays or documents, you must also have acquaintances who have participated in the previous batch. There are many recommendations or information on Tik Tok or Youtube, but if you ask the first-hand person directly, we can get personal insights that are really important to pay attention to,” he concluded (*)
Author: Stefanny Elly
Editor : Khefti Al Mawalia
