What's happening in PresUniv
Even though the government has just launched it, the concept of the Independent Campus (Kampus Merdeka) is already familiar in the President University academic community. The curriculum at President University has been adapted to the needs of industry so we can say that it is in accordance with the concept echoed by the Independent Campus, which is a link and match with industry.
One of the study programs that has implemented the concept of link and match with industry is the Law study program. Head of Law Study Program at President University, Dr. Dra. Fennieka Kristianto, S.H., M.H., M.A., M.Kn., explained that according to the concept of Independent Campus, in addition to link and match with industry, the university provides the freedom for students to choose the focus of their study concentration based on their interest. "The Law study program provides 3 alternative concentration choices, namely General Law, Corporate Law, and International Law, with a choice of 3 career paths, specifically as professionals, entrepreneurs, and academicians," she explained.
With the changing needs of the industry, President University's Law Study Program continues to update its curriculum in order to equip students with the skills industry needs. In updating the curriculum, the Law Study Program held several meetings. After conducting discussions with the internal campus management team, the study program invited alumni to deliver input and share their insights on the new curriculum. The alumni that were present at the meeting are Wiwin Widianingsih, Suherlin, Selly Marcelina, Ferawati Natalita S, Geubrina T. Puntia, and Adzhana L. Amanda. In addition to alumni, the Law study program also invited active students from various batches, namely Fidelia Gracia, Reynaldo Arya, dan Thoni M. W. M., to share their opinion.
Suherlin, who currently works as an Associate at AYMP (Armand Yapsunto Muharamsyah and Partners) Law Firm mentioned that the internship program that she carried out at AYMP for 4 months had enabled her to apply the hard skills and soft skills she got in class to the professional world before he graduated from university. She also had the opportunity to work at the law firm after completing his internship program. Furthermore, she mentioned that mentorship from academic supervisors plays an important role in finding her passion and choosing her career paths.
Fennieka explained that in the new curriculum, students at President University carry out compulsory internship programs in accordance with their interests and career path choices for three semesters (1 year), supplemented by mentoring sessions from lecturers and practitioners in their respective fields. This internship program in the new curriculum is longer than the previous one which only requires students to have an internship for 1 semester (4 months).
In the first internship semester, students are required to have an internship at their chosen company/law firm. In the next two internship semesters, they will continue to carry out an internship program tailored to their career paths. If they want to be professionals, they can continue their internship at a company/law firm. If they want to become academicians, they can become teaching assistants at other universities at home or abroad, or do other independent projects if they want to become entrepreneurs.
In the same semester, students can complete their final project, with 6 choices of final project products, namely in the form of theses, final projects, independent studies, product development projects, case studies, and 2 comprehensive classes.
Another alumna, Ferawati, stated that lecturer mentorship regarding interests and career paths held from the first semester will greatly help students reach their goals. According to her, with clear objectives, students will focus and not be distracted by unnecessary things. Ferawati, who received a scholarship for the postgraduate program from Pennysalvia State University, United States said, "Knowing that the preparations and the process of applying a scholarship are long, from my experience, postgraduate scholarship applications abroad will be better done as early as possible. With mentorship and connections from lecturers, as well as the cooperation between our university and universities abroad, preparation for study abroad will be easier for President University students."
With the new curriculum, the Law study program hopes to accommodate students better according to their talents and interests with guidance from professional lecturers and practitioners. (SL)
Penerapan Kurikulum Kampus Merdeka di Mata Alumni Prodi Hukum President University
Meski baru diresmikan oleh pemerintah, konsep Kampus Merdeka sesungguhnya sudah tidak asing lagi di kalangan civitas academica President University. Kurikulum di President University telah disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan industri, sehingga bisa dibilang sesuai dengan konsep yang digaungkan Kampus Merdeka, yaitu link and match dengan industri.
Program studi yang telah melaksanakan konsep link and match dengan industri, salah satunya adalah program studi (prodi) Hukum. Kepala Program Studi Hukum President University, Dr. Dra. Fennieka Kristianto, S.H., M.H., M.A., M.Kn., menjelaskan bahwa sesuai konsep Kampus Merdeka, selain link and match dengan industri, universitas memberikan kebebasan kepada mahasiswa sesuai minat masing-masing untuk memilih fokus konsentrasi studinya. “Prodi Hukum sendiri memberikan 3 alternatif pilihan konsentrasi, yaitu general law, corporate law dan international law, dengan pilihan 3 jalur karir yaitu sebagai profesional, entrepreneur, dan akademisi,” jelasnya.
Dengan kebutuhan industri yang terus berubah, prodi Hukum President University terus memperbaharui kurikulumnya agar dapat membekali mahasiswa dengan keterampilan yang dibutuhkan industri. Dalam memperbaharui kurikulumnya, prodi Hukum mengadakan beberapa pertemuan. Setelah melakukan diskusi dengan pihak internal kampus, prodi mengundang para alumni untuk memberikan masukan serta pengalaman mereka terhadap kurikulum yang baru. Adapun alumni yang hadir adalah
Alumni Hukum President University yang hadir di antaranya Suherlin, yang saat ini bekerja sebagai Associate di AYMP (Armand Yapsunto Muharamsyah and Partners) Law Firm. Ia menyebutkan bahwa program magang yang ia laksanakan di AYMP selama 4 bulan telah memampukannya untuk mengaplikasikan hard skills dan soft skills yang ia dapatkan di kelas ke dunia profesional sebelum ia lulus kuliah. Ia pun mendapat peluang untuk bekerja di firma hukum ternama tersebut setelah menyelesaikan program magangnya. Lebih lanjut, ia menyebutkan mentorship dari dosen pembimbing akademis berperan penting dalam menemukan minat dan memilih jalur karirnya.
Fennieka menjelaskan, dalam kurikulum yang baru, mahasiswa di President University melaksanakan program wajib magang sesuai dengan minat dan pilihan jalur karirnya selama tiga semester (1 tahun), dilengkapi dengan pendampingan dari dosen maupun praktisi berkualitas di bidang masing-masing. Program magang ini lebih panjang dari kurikulum sebelumnya yang hanya mewajibkan mahasiswa untuk magang selama 1 semester (4 bulan).
Di semester magang yang pertama, mahasiswa wajib magang di perusahaan/firma hukum yang mereka pilih. Di dua semester magang selanjutnya, mereka akan tetap melaksanakan program magang disesuaikan dengan jalur karir yang mereka minati. Jika ingin menjadi profesional, mereka dapat melanjutkan kerja magangnya di perusahaan/firma hukum. Jika ingin menjadi akademisi, mereka dapat menjadi asisten dosen di universitas lain di dalam atau luar negeri, maupun melakukan proyek-proyek mandiri lain jika ingin menjadi wirausahawan.
Di semester yang sama, mahasiswa dapat menyelesaikan tugas akhirnya, dengan 6 pilihan produk tugas akhir, yaitu dalam bentuk skripsi, proyek akhir, studi independen, projek pengembangan produk, penelaahan kasus, dan 2 kelas yang komprehensif.
Alumni lain, Verawati Natalita, berpendapat bahwa mentorship dosen mengenai minat dan jalur karir yang diadakan dari semester awal akan sangat membantu mahasiswa menggapai cita-citanya. Menurutnya, dengan tujuan yang jelas, mahasiswa akan fokus dan tidak terganggu dengan hal-hal yang lain. Verawati yang mendapatkan beasiswa 95% biaya kuliah pascasarjana dari Pennysalvia State University, Amerika Serikat ini mengatakan, “Mengingat persiapannya banyak dan prosesnya panjang, dari pengalaman saya, aplikasi beasiswa pascasarjana ke luar negeri akan lebih baik dilakukan sedini mungkin. Dengan mentorship dan koneksi dari dosen-dosen, juga jalinan kerja sama antara kampus dan universitas di luar negeri, persiapan studi lanjut ke luar negeri akan lebih mudah bagi mahasiswa President University.”
Dengan kurikulum yang baru, prodi Hukum berharap akan mengakomodasi mahasiswa lebih baik sesuai bakat dan minat dengan bimbingan dari dosen-dosen dan praktisi profesional. (SL)
