UNIVERSITY LIFE: 3 YEARS IN INDONESIA & 1 YEAR IN THE NETHERLANDS

(Petra Christian University, Surabaya)

(Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands)

Beautiful!! That's exactly how I feel.

First of all, I was not from a prestigious Senior High School. I was just from Senior High School in a small city, and it was not a public school but a catholic private school. So, my university target was not far from Surabaya because Surabaya is the nearest big city. When I was in 12th grade, my friends searched their universities; some had already decided where to enroll. 

Like my friends, I've already known that I wanted to enroll in Petra Christian University because this university is popular in my school, and many of my school alums studied there. However, I didn't know what faculty I wanted to study. So, I asked my counseling teacher what program fit me. My teacher asked me to write 3 programs that I liked. I wrote Business Management Program, Finance Management Program, and Accounting Program. My teacher asked me why I didn't choose the program related to my high school studies (I studied science), and my score was pretty good in those lessons. I told her that my ambition was not to be a scientist or anything related to science; I only wanted to be a successful person even though I still didn't know what kind of jobs would lead me to become successful. Furthermore, science is too abstract for me; it couldn't be imagined easily by me if I studied it😖. 

My teacher knew I liked numbers and suggested I choose a Finance Management Program or an Accounting Program. Then I asked my parents; my parents said that I had better choose the Finance Management Program because it taught me a lot of aspects, and many companies needed it. Moreover, it is also related to investment - stocks, obligations, bonds, etc. - and has better prospects in the future. Even though I don't know what material to learn, that program seems interesting. I decided to choose the Finance Management Program, especially I liked counting money😉😋😝.

In August 2018, I started my university life. I lived far from my family, met new friends, and needed to adapt to a new environment. It was pretty scary, but I was also excited. My first and second semesters were normal, and my marks were pretty good. However, my problem was I didn't get any committee. It became a problem because my university required us to earn points for participating in the committee. If I couldn't fulfill my point until graduation, I couldn't attend the graduation ceremony. Most of my friends had already been accepted into the committee, making me even more scared👻. So, I submitted my application to recruitment as soon as possible.  

I remember being accepted into the committee in April 2019 after applying for almost 30 recruitments. The event was a chess competition. I didn't understand how to play chess, but I didn't mind. The event included a national event, so I got the high point, and that point has already fulfilled the requirement from my university. However, I didn't stop only participating in that event. I applied to the University Student Executive Board and was accepted into the Finance Administration Department. That organisation became the starting point for many other committees because I knew many people and was offered to be treasurer in many committees😵🙉.

(1st Committee)

In my third and fourth semesters, I participated in many committees and attended many meetings. I became popular in many committees. Moreover, I also could maintain my mark and was pleased because of it. However, I continued in the University Student Executive Board when I was in the fifth and sixth semesters, though I was not as active as before. First, it was because there were a lot of tasks in this semester. I was afraid I didn't have enough time to do it, and my priority was getting good scores.

University Student Executive Board)

In the sixth semester, I also decided to apply to a double degree program in the Netherlands, especially since I had wanted to study abroad since Senior High School. I prepared all the requirements for my double degree program from home because it was the COVID-19 era. I would study in the Netherlands at the Saxion University of Applied Science for a year. 

I want to thank God for this opportunity to allow me to study at the Saxion University of Applied Science in the Netherlands.

(Saxion Graduation)

How did I apply for my double degree programs, and what was my story in the Netherlands? I will tell you in another blog. 

So, stay tuned!!👋