Students must be careful in choosing school abroad
Students must be careful in choosing school abroad
JAKARTA (JP): At least a year of extensive and intensive
preparation and personal research is absolutely necessary before
prospective students leave Indonesia to study abroad, educational
advisers say.
"Students should be well-prepared before leaving to study in
the United States...I have met some Indonesians who end up
enrolling in a university just because it is the only one which
hasn't closed its admission deadline," said Ardythe Huber-
Fenwick from the American-Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF)
at a seminar providing information on U.S., Australian, New
Zealand and Singaporean higher education institutions yesterday.
Kay Ikranegara from the International Education Foundation
also gave useful tips for prospective students.
"Start out with a good basis in English and apply for computer
courses, because statistics is needed in almost all fields of
study. And increase your reading speed," she advised.
Most important of all, she added, is knowing the appropriate
field of study and making the right choice. "Take time and do it
carefully," she said.
Both counselors said that many students did not choose
carefully -- and later regretted their choice -- because they did
not want to go to too much trouble and, as a result, let someone
else choose for them.
While prospective undergraduate students may make their choice
of university according to its location, graduate students should
put more emphasis on the university's excellence in a specific
field of study, she said.
"Don't choose a university just because it is famous. Less-
famous institutions may have stronger, more specialized areas of
concentration which should be an important consideration," she
said.
Peggy Slamet from the British Council's Education Counseling
Service said that unlike U.S. and Australian universities,
institutions in the United Kingdom concentrated more on promoting
their graduate studies.
"The post graduate studies in the U.K. are relatively shorter
and many can be completed in one year," she said.
Slamet considered that climate and environmental differences
were the things which Indonesians found most difficult to adapt
to.
"However, the typical stereotype of conservative, cold Britons
also prevents Indonesians from socializing with them. Actually,
they're not that bad," Slamet said.
Denis Browne, Deputy Principal of New Zealand's Paraparaumu
College, said it was important to "mix" students of various
backgrounds.
"We want a mix of students... This way they are educated not
only academically but socially and culturally as well," he said,
adding that for this purpose homestays were considered the most
suitable form of accommodation.
Tuition fees together with living expenses range between
10,000 and 23,000 pounds sterling per year in the U.K., US$12,000
and $25,000 per year in the U.S., and are about A$ 23,000 per
year in Australia and at least NZ$ 8,000 per year in New Zealand,
depending on the location of the university and the field of
study. (pwn)