UNS — Winning a scholarship is a dream of many students. Besides funding, students could study in prestigious universities or programs. Monbukagakusho, or MEXT, is a prestigious scholarship in Indonesia granted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Japan for Indonesian university graduates who want to study in Japan.
Arikasuci Fitonna Ridassepri, an alumnus of Master Program in Chemistry Program Postgraduate School Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, is one of many lucky people to win the Monbukagakusho scholarship. Arikasuci received an opportunity to study as a research student in the Doctoral Degree Program at the Department of Engineering Science University of Electro-Communications (UEC), Tokyo.
To uns.ac.id, the 2018 UNS alumnus, shared her experience and process with winning the scholarship. Arika stated that Monbukagakusho is the most prestigious scholarship in Japan that opens an opportunity to continue studying for a postdoctoral degree or being a university teacher. Therefore, she applied for the scholarship with an expectation that it will ease her career journey.
“I got the information when I visited Japan through the Sakura Science exchange program in October 2019,” Arika said. She added that her thesis research under Dr. Fitria Rahmawati’s supervision was a Joint Research Project from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) in 2018-2021 with an interdisciplinary science theme. Her research involved the Faculty of Engineering (FT) UNS faculty member and the Director of UEC Branch Office in UNS Postgraduate School, Dr. Budi Kristiawan.
From this research, Dr. Budi Kristiawan provided information to Arika about UEC as a UNS partner in Tokyo, Japan. “In JSPS research, I received valuable opportunity to participate in Sakura Science program. From that point, I came to know about the scholarship and was interested in studying in Japan. I also participated in UEC EDU Fest 2021 webinar held by UEC Office on March 2021,” she added.
Registration Process
Arika shared her story of applying to the Monbukagakusho scholarship in early 2020 when she was completing her thesis research and was not lucky to win the scholarship. Her spirit never went down, and at the end of 2020, she again applied for the scholarship.
“I applied to the Kyushu University. But sadly, in 2020, I was unlucky to win the scholarship. Maybe it was because I was not graduated at the time because one of the administrative requirements is to have a diploma,” she explained.
The documents that applicants need to prepare in the Monbukagakusho application are registration form, thesis abstract in English, transcript, diploma, research proposal, recommendation letter from the university (supervisor, dean, or rector), a recommendation from supervisor candidate in Japan, TOEFL certificate, and formal photo pass. The selection processes include administrative selection, interview with supervisor candidate, and a formal interview with university and student unit.
“Monbukagakusho scholarship has two tracks, through Japan Embassy and U to U or university to university. I experienced registering through both tracks,” Arika said.
Arika also shared five important things that should be prepared by UNS students who are interested in studying in Japan using the Monbukagakusho scholarship. The preparations are finding the target university and prospective supervisor, preparing a concise and clear research proposal with novelty, preparing a recommendation letter, international publication, and target to graduate or defended their final project when applying for the scholarship.
When asked about her study selection, Arika explained that her thesis was a part of a bilateral project between Kyushu University and UNS. The research focused on exploring carbon natural resources and further use as absorbents and electrodes in a lithium-ion battery. Her thesis research limitation on lithium-ion battery structural configuration and storage mechanism could be improved and encouraged her to study the theoretical calculation of carbon-based electrodes.
Parents, Dream, and Interest toward Japan
Arika stated that she visited Japan in October 2019 through the Sakura Science program held by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), which sparked her interest in the country. She thinks Japan has a clean and fresh environment besides the discipline and orderly nature of the society. She also feels that Japanese people are friendly towards foreigners despite having limited foreign language proficiency. She said that the locals helped her when she had difficulty finding halal restaurants and returning to her hotel.
“I think staying in Japan will help me developing a better personality as a preparation for my future career,” she said.
Regarding the support from her parents, Arika said that her mother was worried if she needs to study abroad for a long time. But at last, her parents supported her decision. “I am grateful to have parents and surrounded by people who always provide a support system for me,” Arika said.
Arika explained that she wants to be a university teacher after graduating and have more Indonesia-Japan research collaborations. She also hopes that her participation in the program would expand and deepen her knowledge in her major.
Before concluding the interview, Arika reminded her fellow UNS students who want to win an international scholarship to search for information about the target countries and universities actively. Students also need to find information on the prospective supervisors through their university website or journal ranking sites.
“Build active communication or consult your prospective supervisor, consult your research proposal if any, with your prospective supervisor, and consult the requirements with your supervisor in UNS, could be with your thesis supervisor or academic advisor,” she concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Yefta Christopherus AS
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
