What's happening in PresUniv
President University Primary School Teacher Education (PSTE) Study Program held an online "Back to School: Scholarship Webinar" on Monday, 31 August 2020. The event carried out a theme "Developing Potentials through the Scholarship Program" discussed everything about the scholarship program provided by the Indonesian government, namely the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship.
The event was opened with a brief explanation of the LPDP scholarship presented by Ir. Dwi Larso, MSIE., Ph.D., the Director of the LPDP Scholarship. Dwi Larso explained the details of the program and answered questions from the webinar participants directly.
The webinar was divided into 3 sessions with 3 speakers who are alumni of LPDP scholarships at various universities.
In the first session, Yogi Saputra Mahmud, M.TESOL., a PSTE President University lecturer, explained the preparation for the LPDP scholarship application process. Yogi, who is a graduate of Monash University, Australia, said that as we all study and work from home amidst the pandemic, we can use the time to complete administrative requirements, such as letters of recommendation, certificates of English proficiency, letters of acceptance at the intended universities, and other documents. He also explained the scholarship selection process, including administrative selection, a computer-based selection which consists of academic potential tests, personality character tests, and on the spot essay writing, as well as interviews.
The next session was filled by PGSD lecturers from President University who graduated from University College London, namely Richard Kuhon, S.Pd., B.Sc., M.A. He explained the expected academic and non-academic experiences during graduate study. He mentioned that it is common for us to experience difficulties during the study. For this reason, it is important to remember our initial motivation and goals of graduate study so that we can refocus and refresh ourselves. In these difficult times, it is important to build connections and join communities, it can be a religious community, an Indonesian student community, or other communities so that they can be a support system for us. He also mentioned that it is important to build connections during the study because it can support future career development.
In line with Richard, a lecturer in Industrial Engineering at President University, Athina Sakina Ratum, S.T., M.Sc., who delivered her presentation on the last session also mentioned the importance of networking during the study that can help us in the professional work after graduating. She revealed that the postgraduate study had enhanced her knowledge in a special way and gave her ideas for further research that she had not previously received during her work or undergraduate studies. Athina who is a graduate of the University of Groningen, the Netherland revealed that as a lecturer, studying abroad can give her a view of a different education system so that she can create a better teaching and learning process for her students in Indonesia. She advised participants to prepare for the scholarship application process as early as possible, considering the limited time needed to prepare the requirements. (SL)
Webinar Prodi PGSD Kupas Habis Beasiswa LPDP untuk Studi Pascasarjana
Program Studi Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Dasar (PGSD) President University mengadakan Back to School: Scholarship Webinar pada Senin, 31 Agustus 2020 secara online. Acara yang mengangkat tema “Mengembang Potensi melalui Program Beasiswa” ini mengupas habis serba serbi seputar program beasiswa dari pemerintah Indonesia, yaitu beasiswa Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP).
Acara dibuka dengan penjelasan singkat mengenai beasiswa LPDP yang dibawakan oleh Ir. Dwi Larso, MSIE., Ph.D., Direktur Beasiswa LPDP. Dwi Larso memaparkan rincian program serta menjawab secara langsung pertanyaan dari para peserta webinar.
Selanjutnya, webinar dibagi menjadi 3 sesi dengan 3 pembicara yang adalah alumni beasiswa LPDP di berbagai universitas.
Pada sesi yang pertama, Yogi Saputra Mahmud, M.TESOL., dosen PGSD President University menjelaskan persiapan menuju proses aplikasi beasiswa LPDP. Yogi yang merupakan lulusan Monash University, Australia, menyebutkan bahwa para peserta dapat memanfaatkan waktu di masa pandemi ini untuk melengkapi persyaratan administratif, seperti surat rekomendasi, sertifikat kemampuan bahasa Inggris, surat penerimaan di perguruan tinggi yang dituju, serta dokumen lainnya. Ia juga menjelaskan proses seleksi beasiswa, diantaranya seleksi administrasi, seleksi berbasis komputer yang teridiri atas tes potensi akademik, tes karakter kepribadian, dan on the spot essay writing, serta wawancara.
Sesi selanjutnya masih diisi oleh dosen PGSD President University lulusan University College London yaitu Richard Kuhon, S.Pd., B.Sc., M.A. Ia memaparkan pengalaman akademis dan non-akademis selama studi lanjut. Ia menyebutkan, tak jarang kita mengalami kesulitan selama berkuliah. Untuk itu, penting untuk mengingat motivasi awal dan tujuan kita menjalani studi lanjut sehingga dapat kembali fokus dan menyegarkan pikiran dan tubuh. Di saat-saat yang sulit inilah, penting untuk membangun koneksi dan berkomunitas, baik itu komunitas keagamaan, komunitas pelajar Indonesia, atau komunitas lainnya sehingga dapat mendukung aktivitas belajar dan kehidupan sehari-hari. Ia juga menyebutkan penting untuk membangun koneksi selama berkuliah karena dapat mendukung pengembangan karir di masa depan.
Senada dengan Richard, dosen Teknik Industri President University, Athina Sakina Ratum, S.T., M.Sc., yang mengisi sesi terakhir juga menyebutkan pentingnya membangun koneksi selama menjalani studi lanjut dalam membantunya dalam pekerjaan setelah selesai studi lanjut. Ia mengungkapkan bahwa studi pascasarjana telah menambah pengetahuannya secara khusus dan memberikannya ide untuk penelitian lanjutan yang sebelumnya tidak ia dapatkan selama bekerja atau kuliah sarjana. Athina yang merupakan lulusan University of Groningen mengungkapkan bahwa sebagai dosen, belajar di luar negeri dapat memberikannya pandangan terhadap sistem pendidikan yang berbeda sehingga ia dapat menciptakan proses belajar mengajar yang lebih baik bagi mahasiswanya di Indonesia. Ia berpesan untuk menyiapkan diri sedini mungkin untuk proses aplikasi beasiswa, mengingat waktu yang dibutuhkan untuk mempersiapkan persyaratannya yang cukup banyak. (SL)
