Study abroad to improve prospects

Study abroad to improve prospects

In this and related articles on Page 2, The Jakarta Post
contributors I. Christianto and Nuraini Razak study the channels
people can go through in order to win scholarships to study
abroad.

JAKARTA (JP): Value is usually added to the evaluation of a
potential job applicant when they reveal that, not only have they
studied abroad, but they did it on a prestigious scholarship
program.

Why? Because many of us still think that overseas graduates
are of a higher quality than homegrown ones. This opinion is
certainly debatable, but what is certain is that those wanting to
study abroad usually think they could have better career
prospects, higher potential earnings and a more promising future
once their studies are complete.

There are literally thousands of courses to choose from and
hundreds of schools, colleges and universities for a chance to
study in English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, etc.
Subjects range from science, arts and humanities to technology,
business and engineering.

The type of learning activities available range from
independent schooling to postgraduate higher education. Study
abroad programs often offer more course options, more flexibility
and more opportunities for students to realize their ambitions.

However, the fact that course fees abroad are significantly
higher than studying the equivalent courses in local universities
has pushed many potential candidates to apply for scholarships.

Monique Soesman of the Netherlands Education Center (NEC) said
her institution offers various scholarships for Indonesians,
including the Tinbergen Scholarship Program (TSP), Regular
Fellowship Program (RFP), STUNED (Study in Nederland), Special
Fellowship Program (SFP), University Fellowship Program (UFP) and
Huygens Scholarship Program.

The TSP is a student exchange program at bachelor degree level
for a maximum of two semesters. Under this program Indonesian
students are sent to a partner institution in the Netherlands.

The RFP, STUNED and SFP programs are for professionals under
40 years (male) and 45 years (female) who wish to undertake a
masters degree.

"An age limitation is necessary because it has something to do
with productivity," Monique said.

She added that the target group for STUNED includes university
lecturers, government officials, NGO staff and other
professionals, as most of the programs focus on three major
fields: poverty alleviation, environment and good governance.

She said SFP is a tailor-made program to meet specific
requirements, while UFP is for fresh graduates or those who
graduated no longer than two years ago and wish to undertake
postgraduate study within a restricted number of courses.

Huygens is for research for any PhD. program for a period up
to 10 months only, she added.

General requirements include an educational background that is
directly related to the course subject, an adequate level of
English (TOEFL 500-550) and good health.

Monique said STUNED is the only program financed by NEC, while
the other programs are financially supported by the Dutch
government.

"In principle, there are numerous studies conducted in English
which may attract students from Indonesia. Therefore students do
not have to master the Dutch language prior to their departure.

"For the first time, there's one female student who will
undertake a linguistics program taught in the Indonesian
language. She will commence study next year," she said.

There are 145 students receiving the scholarship this year,
compared to 85 in 2000.

"Total funds allocated to the scholarship this year is 6
million guilders (Rp 27.5 billion), doubled from 3 million
guilders in 2000, so more Indonesians are able to get the
scholarships. NEC is happy there are more applicants from outside
of Java," she said.

She added that next year NEC will promote the scholarship
programs to more provinces across Indonesia.

"NEC will be pleased if there are more applicants from areas
outside Java," she said, adding that those interested in applying
for any of the scholarships are advised to submit their
applications and related documents immediately before the
deadlines -- usually in February, April and May.

Candidates are normally selected by an independent committee
whose members include personnel from the Dutch embassy,
Netherlands Alumni Association and other institutes, she said.

Companies

In addition to scholarships offered by embassies in Jakarta or
foreign educational institutes, there are also higher education
programs offered by private companies. One such company is PT
Fujitsu Systems Indonesia.

Andaruwati of Fujitsu said that the company usually selects
two talented Indonesians annually to undertake an MBA program and
a short course in Hawaii.

"This year is the 18th program. We will start receiving
applications from this month until October," she said.

She said that the MBA program and the short course are both
held at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

"The MBA programs last 15 months, which includes three-months
of job training. Meanwhile, the short course is a four month
program which includes job training in Japan," Andaruwati said.

The scholarship for the MBA program is worth around US$50,000
to $55,000 and covers full tuition, airfares and living costs.
The scholarship for the short course is worth between $13,000 and
21,000, she said.

She said that the program started in 1985 when Fujitsu
commemorated its 50th anniversary. "The program is dedicated to
improving the quality of education and human resources in
Indonesia," she said.

Andaruwati said that, since the beginning of the programs,
there has only 100 applications forms for each one.

"Many people are interested in the program," she said. "But we
will not give forms to anyone whose TOEFL score is below 600 for
the MBA program and below 500 for the short course program. Many
people do not meet this preliminary requirement."

In addition, the MBA candidates should also have GMAT with a
minimum score of 500, she said, adding that all candidates should
have a bachelor degree with a minimum three year's professional
experience.

"There's no age limitation for the program, and,
interestingly, we see candidates with a wide range of educational
backgrounds every year. Once, a physician won the MBA program,"
Andaruwati said.

She said the Fujitsu office in Jakarta would send 200
applications to Honolulu for the selection process.

"There are usually some seven candidates shortlisted. A panel,
consisting of personnel from Fujitsu headquarters in Japan and
the University of Hawaii, will come to Jakarta in February to
interview the candidates. Then there will be only one winner for
both the MBA and short course program," she said, adding that the
decision was usually announced in April.

Universities

There are some overseas universities offering scholarships to
Indonesian students. Among them is Nanyang Technical University
(NTU) in Singapore.

A representative of NTU in Jakarta, Tyson Sutandi, said that
the university had been offering the scholarship to Indonesian
students for quite some time.

"There are scholarships both for graduate and postgraduate
degrees in civil engineering, electronics, mechanical
engineering, computer engineering and material engineering," he
said.

What if people wish to study overseas but not to pursue a
degree? The Nippon Foundation Fellowship offers great
opportunities to Indonesians for research and other activities
with its programs Asian Public Intellectuals (API) Junior
Fellowship and the API Senior Fellowship.

By public intellectuals, the foundation means academics, mass
media professionals, artists, NGO activists and others with
"moral authority" who are working to shape public opinion and
influence in their societies.

The API Senior Fellowship is granted for those aged 35 and
above to carry out research and/or professional activities for a
period of between one to twelve months. The API Junior Fellowship
is granted to people aged under 35, allowing them to carry out
research and/or professional activities for a period of between
six to 12 months.