The Untold Value of Study Abroad: IISMA's Journey in the United Kingdom

Hanifah Amalia Putri, an FEB UNY student majoring in Diploma in Accounting class of 2019, admitted that she was happy to have set foot in the United Kingdom. Currently, Hani has the opportunity to study for one semester at the University of Nottingham, UK through the IISMA scholarship program for vocational students (IISMAVO). IISMA is the Indonesian International Student Mobility Award, which is the Government of the Republic of Indonesia’s scholarship scheme to fund Indonesian students for mobility programs at top universities overseas. Undergraduate and vocational students can spend one semester at the overseas partner university to study, experience the host country's culture, and undertake practical assignments to enhance their skills.

Hani departed from Indonesia on September 30, 2022, and will complete her studies for 4 months until January 28, 2023. Hani said that the United Kingdom had been her dream country since childhood, which could only be seen on television screens. "From here, my desire arose to get a scholarship to study abroad. My first choice was the University of Nottingham and finally, the committee decided to place me here. My dream has finally come true," Hani said in her statement.

Ever since she was in high school, Hani had dreamt of going to study abroad because she believed in the various benefits of education and experience. Therefore, participating in such a program becomes her first step and her motivation to hone her soft skills and hard skills, improve her knowledge and experience, and learn to adapt to other countries. “In my opinion, studying and living abroad is the right way to evolve and bring out the best version of myself by exploring my skills and interests in various fields. Besides that, of course, this valuable experience is very useful to add insight and broaden my point of view. Not only do I learn about education systems, but also about ways of life, friendships, and many more," explained Hani.

Hani enjoys her life on campus, both academic and non-academic. She was fascinated by the culture and student life there. “It's fun and comfortable. The campus is impressive and the facilities are equipped. The lecturers here prepare and explain the material with totality," she said. "It is supported by qualified facilities and technology, a structured system, and the lecturers also try to make their students comfortable and understand the material presented," she added.

However, at first, she admitted that the adaptation to life while in the United Kingdom was quite heavy. Hani had difficulty understanding the British accent when the lecturer was explaining lectures. However, she said, that is precisely the challenge. That way, she has to study twice as hard. Not only language adaptation, but Hani also has to adjust to the weather in the United Kingdom. In the first month, she admitted that she experienced a drastic change. She had not been feeling well for several days due to the weather. "But eventually I got used to it. If there's something I miss the most from Indonesia, it's, of course, the food, because local people don't eat rice. What's also interesting, it turns out that people here are enthusiastic to greet and get to know each other. But this is still the United Kingdom. The people uphold the principles of liberalism," she insisted.

The thing that impressed Hani the most was when she was able to study, socialize, and be able to introduce Indonesia to people abroad. "It is great to experience learning in class, interacting with people from within and outside the country, introducing culture and life in my own country, and of course traveling to places that I could only see on the internet or television," said this Accounting student.

Michelle Obama once said, “The benefits of studying abroad are almost endless,” — and Hani lives up to that statement. She invited FEB UNY students not to stop trying if they wanted to achieve their dreams, especially studying abroad. “To achieve your goal requires process and time; the result is not now, but definitely at some point in the future. In consequence, what we can only strive for is not to give up, keep on to increase knowledge and abilities, gain achievements, and don't hesitate to try," concluded Hani. (hani/fdhl-ed:lia)