UNS — Dozens of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta students took part in the Chevening scholarship dissemination on Thursday (8/9/2022). The event was held at the Werkudara Room, the Ki Padmasusastra UNS Building, and was attended by students from various study programs and classes. Several alumni also participated in events held by the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) of International Partnership and Services (KLI) in collaboration with the Career Development Center (CDC) UNS.
The event was opened by the European and African Region Coordinator for UPT KLI UNS, Dimas Rahadian, Ph.D. In his remarks, Dr. Dimas said that this event became an opportunity for students to find out more about the Chevening scholarship, which is one of the prestigious scholarships available. Dimas explained that about 20 UNS lecturers are UK graduates. For this reason, Dimas hopes that the relay baton can be passed on by students and alumni to be able to study in the UK, especially if it is funded through Chevening scholarships. “We, as part of UNS academic members, expect our alumni to continue their Master’s studies in the UK with this Chevening scholarship. Please listen to today’s presentation carefully, thus, we can make extended preparation, especially for any administration, required GPA, English proficiency, and application procedures, therefore, when you graduate, you are ready to compete for this scholarship,” he said.
He continued that the number of alumni who pursue further studies becomes one of the benchmarks of university performance included in Key Performance Indicators (IKU) 1. For this reason, his party encourages students who will graduate to be able to continue their studies. “If there are more and more students continue their studies, especially abroad, especially with scholarships, especially funded by prestigious scholarships like Chevening, it will be the pride of the entire academic community at UNS,” he said.
Chevening scholarship dissemination was delivered by the Network and Alumni Officer for the British Embassy in Jakarta, Raras Wulandaru. On this occasion, she explained various aspects of the Chevening Scholarship, ranging from the advantages of studying in the UK, application procedures, administration, and various technical matters related to this scholarship. Chevening Scholarship itself is a scholarship program provided by the UK government through the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). This scholarship is provided to people from various countries, including Indonesia, who want to continue their Master’s degree study at all universities in the UK under any study program. This means that the recipient can choose their desired study program without the limitation of choosing a specific study program. “The Master study period in the UK is only one year, or, more precisely, 9 (nine) months. Meanwhile, in Indonesia or other countries, the study period needs one and a half or two years. Thus, for all of you who probably don’t want to stay in school for too long and want to contribute quickly or work for your home country, this is actually the most favorable option. For one year, you can get a degree and then go back home to your country of origin to contribute,” she explained.
This scholarship provides full financing for its recipients during their Master’s study in the UK. Moreover, Chevening scholarship recipients will also receive the living cost and flights cost from their home country to the UK. The visa fee is also covered by the Chevening scholarship. Meanwhile, during their study in the UK, Chevening scholarship recipients were also given the opportunity to do an internship at existing companies in the UK and to participate in volunteer activities. Raras also said that Chevening scholarship recipients would get information about conferences and various other activities, both academic and non-academic. “There are many activities that can be done. One example is every two weeks, there is an email notifying certain events, competitions, conferences, or talk shows. There is also a non-academic visit as well, thus, both academic and non-academic activities are covered in this program, even though you only spent one year in the UK. The Chevening program considering not only academic aspect but also the non-academic,” said Raras.
To apply for this scholarship, prospective applicants must have completed their undergraduate studies. Additionally, prospective registrants must have two years of work experience. Prospective applicants were also required to never receive a study scholarship from the UK government. Rest assured, the Chevening scholarship does not ask potential registrants to complete English proficiency tests under specific scores. That’s because Chevening follows each university policy. Each university has a different English proficiency policy. For this reason, prospective registrants must follow the rules of their respective prospective universities.
To register, prospective applicants must fill out an online application form. In the application, prospective registrants were asked to make short essays following four different themes, namely leadership and influence, a study in the UK, networking, and career plans, with certain character limitations. For more information, potential registrants can visit the chevening.org webpage. Humas UNS
Reporter: Ida Fitriyah
Editor: Dwi Hastuti