UNS — Scientific Study Group (KSI) Faculty of Agriculture (FP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held a webinar on ‘Scholarship Talks: Are You Ready for LPDP 2021?’ on Sunday (3/1/2021). This event was held online through the Zoom Cloud Meeting application, which is attended by more than 40 participants.
The webinar that discusses scholarship from Educational Fund Management Institution (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan – LPDP) has four keynote speakers, Mercy Bientri Yunindanova S.P., M.Si., as a Faculty Member of FP UNS, Syahrul Nugroho, Syarifatul Waqingah, and Richi Yuliavian Kusminanto, who is the alumnus of FP UNS. The event was held through a casual chat led by Muhammad Taufiek Heryansah as the moderator.
At the beginning of the session, the speakers were asked to explain what is LPDP. One of the speakers, Syarifatul, LPDP Awardee for Magister in Agribusiness UGM, explained that LPDP is a scholarship aimed at students who want to continue their study to the magister and doctoral level both at home and abroad.
To win this prestigious scholarship, Richi, as LPDP Awardee for Magister in Animal Science UGM, reminded everyone who wants to win the scholarship to start now. “The initial intention is important, whether you want to fight or not. If you are willing to fight, you need to prepare from now,” Richi stated.
Syahrul, LPDP Awardee for Magister in Biotechnology ITB, added that to prepare for LPDP, every individual should understand what contributions they have made and their contributions in the future. These contributions will strengthen personal branding during the interview session of LPDP.
The next speaker, Mercy, LPDP Awardee for Doctoral Program in Biotechnology Osaka University, also reminded the participants to prepare for their English proficiency as soon as possible. It is crucial to master the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for students who want to continue studying abroad. For those who wish to continue studying in Indonesia, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) ITP or iBT is sufficient.
In this discussion session, the speakers also mentioned that participants could take different programs when continuing their study as long as applicants have experiences in the field they want to study at the master’s program. These experiences can be in work experiences, organization participation, and volunteering in a community. After the questions and answers session, the event was followed by a closing statement from the four speakers.
“You’re better than you think. If there is a will, keep fighting, keep doing it, don’t give up. If we fight, there will be a way. Even if we failed, we could evaluate ourselves to be better,” Syahrul stated. Lastly, Mercy reminded me that the biggest rival of a person is themselves. Thus, as long as there is a will, everybody can become a scholarship awardee. Humas UNS
Reporter: Zalfaa Azalia Pursita
Editor: Dwi Hastuti