Thirty-three students from the Faculty of Psychology at UGM (Psychology UGM) have successfully become the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) Program awardees in 2024.
These students will be sent to more than seven countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and other Asian and European countries.
Dr. Rahmat Hidayat, Dean of Psychology UGM, stated that the number of students sent this year represents a new achievement for the faculty. He congratulated and appreciated the students’ success in qualifying for the IISMA program.
“Congratulations to the students who have been given the opportunity to participate in IISMA this year. Year by year, we see more and more Psychology students getting opportunities like this,” Dr. Hidayat said on Saturday (Jun. 22).
According to the dean, the number of students sent to participate in the IISMA program equals 10 percent of the total active undergraduate students.
“It can be said that Psychology UGM contributes more than 10% of its total students or 33 out of 250 students,” he explained.
As is known, the IISMA program was launched by the Ministry of Education to provide Indonesian students with the widest possible opportunity to study abroad with full funding. All IISMA 2024 awardees will undertake their studies for one semester starting in October 2024.
Pramudyawardhani Mahira Kusumaningtyas, a Psychology student accepted at the University of Padua, Italy, shared her struggle to achieve this opportunity. She admitted that she had been interested in IISMA since high school.
“I learned about the IISMA program in 11th grade, the same year it was first launched. Therefore, when I was accepted at UGM, I planned to apply for IISMA in my second year of college,” said Kusumaningtyas.
Unfortunately, her first application in 2023 did not yield results. Although she felt pessimistic, Kusumaningtyas was determined to reapply this year. She evaluated her previous selection results to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Kusumaningtyas also explained her strategy through administrative selection, essay, and interview stages. Learning from her previous experience, she tried to improve her essay writing skills by seeking help from previous IISMA awardees. Additionally, she was very careful when submitting the required documents.
“The documents that must be submitted must be complete and error-free because they can affect the selection process. I even had to handle documents in my hometown,” Kusumaningtyas said.
Similarly, Laras Utami also shared her experience during the IISMA selection. When entering the interview stage, Laras faced a technical issue with her device.
“Suddenly, my laptop camera died; I panicked and had to switch to my phone while the interviewer was waiting in the meeting room. I had no hope since then,” she recalled.
She felt desperate because other participants were highly interested in applying for IISMA. Any slight disturbance would be considered in the selection process. The incidents during the selection process made Utami anxious, but when she saw the announcement results, she did not expect to be accepted at the University of Birmingham.
“I am very grateful, especially since some of my friends who also applied were also declared IISMA awardees,” she explained.
Both Kusumaningtyas and Utami are very happy to have the opportunity to participate in the student exchange program. Now, they are preparing for their departure, arranging accommodations, visas, meetings with the destination campus, and other activities with IISMA awardees from Indonesia.
The IISMA program offers students an excellent opportunity to study their field across countries. UGM, in particular, provides the best facilities for students interested in participating in this program. It is hoped that students will gain the best experience and benefit from it when they return home.
Authors: Erna/Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson