841 postgraduate students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) for the 2024/2025 academic year officially graduated on Thursday (Jan. 23) at Grha Sabha Pramana.
Among the 691 master’s graduates, seven achieved a perfect cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 4.00, including Muhammad Qowiyul Amin.
Qowi, as he is commonly known, graduated from the Master’s Program in Pharmaceutical Management at the Faculty of Pharmacy at UGM.
He achieved a perfect GPA and completed his master’s program in just 1 year and 2 months, much faster than the average master’s student, who usually takes 2 years and 2 months to finish.
According to him, there’s no special secret or tips to finishing quickly and perfectly.
“I don’t have a specific way of managing my time, but whenever the lecturer gives an assignment, I try to complete it immediately and do my best,” said Qowi.
In his view, preparation starts early in the course by setting achievement targets that allow students to estimate their graduation timeline.
Originally from Semarang, Central Java, Qowi was also an undergraduate at UGM, majoring in Pharmacy.
His dream of studying at UGM began when he was young. He became interested in the pharmaceutical management program because he wanted to delve deeper into social pharmacy and management, fields in which UGM is a pioneer.
Studying at UGM has taught Qowi many things, such as introducing him to students from various regions across Indonesia and expanding his network.
“I also got to know highly competent lecturers in their fields and, of course, UGM’s abundant resources and facilities,” he added.
During his studies, Qowi made full use of the available facilities, successfully publishing a journal article in Scopus and participating in a conference in Thailand.
He shared that one of his lecturers invited him to attend the conference. The experience was enjoyable for him, as it broadened his knowledge of global research and allowed him to meet productive peers.
However, Qowi’s journey was not without challenges. In the early stages of his studies, he found it difficult to keep up with the assigned tasks while also having to submit an accepted publication.
“At the same time, I also had to prepare a research topic that aligned my thesis with my dissertation,” he explained.
Qowi managed to overcome all these challenges. Now, he is continuing his focus on doctoral studies, which he has pursued for two semesters as part of the fast-track program.
He hopes to graduate on time, have his research published, and have the research process go smoothly. To fellow students aspiring for a perfect GPA, Qowi advised preparing early in the course.
“At the start of the course, understand the grading components explained by the lecturer so you can figure out how to get an A. Be active in class and engage in discussions,” he concluded.
Author: Lazuardi
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya