UNS – Four students from the Civil Engineering study program of the Faculty of Engineering (FT) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta took part in a student exchange program at the School of International and Interdisciplinary Engineering Programs (SIIE), King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Thailand. These students were Maxvallecia Frikandy, Kevin Liu, Alviona Zal Sabila, and Farhan Hilmy Abadi.
They would attend classes at SIIE KMITL for six months, from July to December 2023. This program is the result of collaboration between the Civil Engineering study program of UNS and the Civil Engineering program of SIIE KMITL in the development of international classes.
Maxvallecia Frikandy, also known as Max, expressed her joy at being part of this program, especially because studying in the Land of White Elephants has been her dream since childhood.
“We have had the opportunity to get to know many amazing international friends, especially from Thailand and Nepal, who have become close friends. We often chat, play together, and share life experiences with each other. Our dormitory is also close to the stadium, so we are active in sports, and this has also been a way to get to know friends from various departments,” Max explained, as quoted from ft.uns.ac.id on Friday (15/9/2023).
In addition to attending classes, they also visited several temples, such as Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and other iconic places in Bangkok. They also experienced the 78th Independence Day celebration of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Bangkok.
Max explained that there are differences between studying at UNS and KMITL, including language, learning culture, teaching methods, and campus activities.
“The academic culture in Thailand is more relaxed, and the lecturers don’t pay much attention to time. Additionally, during classes, not many students actively participate because the grading system here places more emphasis on exams than active participation. This is different from UNS, which emphasizes time discipline and assesses students’ active participation through attendance, assignments, and exams,” she added.
Max hopes that FT, especially the Civil Engineering program, can expand opportunities for student exchange.
“This experience will bring great benefits in enhancing international exposure for FT UNS and providing valuable opportunities for students to broaden their horizons. I also hope to pursue further studies abroad to bring constructive feedback to improve the learning curriculum in Indonesia,” she concluded. HUMAS UNS
Reporter: Dwi Hastuti
