UNAIR NEWS – A number of Universitas Airlangga students, including Jaza Nabila Taufik, have successfully passed the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) program selection to various universities abroad. The Psychology student got the learning opportunity at Yale University, US, and has undergone a one-month learning period there.
Being an IISMA awardee is such an accomplishment for Jaza. She has long held a dream of studying at one of the Ivy League campuses, among them being Yale University.
The IISMA program is one of the ways to achieve her dreams. Therefore, she approached the entire selection process of this program, which was launched the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Research and Technology, with utmost dedication.
“One of my biggest dreams is to study at one of Ivy League schools, including Yale University. I can say that IISMA has given an opportunity to pursue my dreams. Driven by my aspirations, I registered for the program,” she told UNAIR NEWS on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
Different learning culture
Jaza noticed a lot of new things at Yale University, especially in academic culture. For instance, the learning system in the classroom, that is different from the one in Indonesia.
“There are only fifteen students in the anthropology class. The learning was conducted in seminar style rather than a traditional lecture. The professor does not give a lecture. Instead, we sat in a circle, exchanging opinions, providing input, and sharing new knowledge related to the assigned readings for the day,” she said.
Besides, the academic conversation at Yale also gave her a culture shock. In Indonesia, the terms ‘Mr.’, ‘Mrs.’, and ‘Professor’ were commonly used in the academic culture. In America, such culture is not commonly used.
“I was quite shocked by this. Talking to older people is no different from talking to someone of the same age. There is no need to use ‘Mr.’, ‘Mrs.’, or ‘Professor’ to address the lecturers. We can simply use their first name,” she added.
Balancing academics and social
Throughout her studies at Yale University, Jaza grows more liking for socializing and interacting with others. There are various facilities and programs available that help students balance their academic and social activities.
“We were encouraged to learn and socialize. There’s this program called Yale Summer Session. The committees will plan various activities for the students on a weekly basis, such as group sports, karaoke nights, visits to cat cafes, and even outings outside the city,” she added.
Jaza hoped the IISMA program will give various lessons and new knowledges. She believed that wasting the opportunity for self-development would be a great loss.
“It would be a great loss [to skip the opportunity] once we got back to Indonesia. I hope to maintain the positive habits here, especially the academic ones which can be applied in Indonesia,” she said.
Author: Yulia Rohmawati
Editor: Binti Q. Masruroh
