Sastra Inggris

Sanata Dharma University is one of the universities that provide access for students to take part in the IISMA program; and a 2018 English Literature study program student, Widi Murti Kasih, was one of the students who passed and was able to join the program. During the interview, Murti admitted that she knew about this program from one of her friends about a week before the program was officially opened. “I was told by one of my friends a week before the program was launched. After the program was launched, I tried to check sasingusd.official and also the Kampus Merdeka website,” said Murti.

From the beginning, Murti was already really interested in joining the student exchange, but there weren’t any opportunities yet. With the IISMA program, she felt she had the opportunity to seek new experiences and knowledge, so she tried to register, even though the process was not easy. “This IISMA was opened during the Idul Fitri holiday and the period of opening to closing of registration was quite short, it even seemed tight. Many documents must be prepared, such as Faculty Letters, DPA Recommendations, Passports, Certificates in English (TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo). “I personally chose Duolingo because the process and the results came out faster than the TOEFL and IELTS.” Murti explained about the files needed to register for IISMA. Murti herself experienced difficulties because during registration, the campus asked for a passport, while she did not have a passport. There was no preparation at all about it, but Murti was grateful that her passport could be processed smoothly. She had also asked to extend the deadline because there were several unfinished files. Murti did not give up, she tried to take care of the remaining files as quickly and efficiently as possible. In the end, the result did not disappoint and she was able to submit her files to the International Office (IO). Murti explained that after the file was sent to IO, she registered on the Kampus Merdeka website, and waited for the announcement of the file selection. “After passing the file selection, later we will be asked to conduct interviews with other campus IO parties. The interview is in English. At that time, my interview coincided with the schedule for the final test.”

“After the interview, I had to wait about a week. Actually, the announcement was delayed from the scheduled time on the web. In addition, there is information that is spread in the telegram group that the announcement that was made on the website has an error. In the end, I had to wait 2 days before it was really fixed.” Murti explained. At that time, she felt quite tense while waiting for the announcement, but the tension was replaced with a sense of happiness and gratitude that she had passed. Murti admitted that she was so happy that she cried; she did not expect that she would be one of the 1000 students who passed and beat the 1500 students who applied. After that, she broke the news to a friend who told her about the IISMA program and also her family.

When registering, Murti chose Canada as the destination country and also the University of Waterloo as a place to participate in student exchange for the next 1 semester. Murti admitted that she chose Canada because she wanted to continue her master’s degree in Canada. For the choice of the university itself, Murti admitted that there were no too specific reasons; it’s just that the requirements at another campus in Canada (University of British Columbia) is more complex and the courses offered by Waterloo are more interesting and according to her interests. There are 8 courses offered by Waterloo, but Murti received 3 courses, including Classical Mythology, World Cinema & Visual Culture, and Peace is Everybody’s Business. Until now, Murti is not too sure when she will go to Canada because she is still applying for a VISA. However, if it is according to schedule, she will depart at the end of August.

“For fellow students who want to take part in student exchange like me, you don’t have to be afraid and feel inferior. Try it first. We will never know the result until we try. Nothing to lose, everything we live can be used as an experience.” said Murti during the interview. Murti also said that to be honest she also lacked preparation and study, especially for the Duolingo test. She only learns about questions through the Duolingo website. Murti also advised that friends who want to register for student exchange, especially at IISMA, don't have to worry about GPA. The assessment is carried out not only based on the GPA, but also other files collected, essays, test results in English, and also the results of interviews with IO. Hopefully, Murti can be a motivation for fellow English Literature students who want to try to register and participate in student exchanges, independent studies, and other programs that can support them to learn, gain experience, and develop themselves.

Reporter: Nathaniel Alvino R. Prima – 184214080
Writer: Theresia Paskah P. – 194214051
Editor: Michael Tan - 194214132