UNAIR NEWS – The Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) is one of the government’s programs that offers opportunities to study abroad for one semester at foreign universities. Therefore, being an IISMA awardee creates a sense of achievement. The same goes for Ni Made Prami Dewanggi, a Faculty of Psychology (FPsi) student, at Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR). Through the program, Gia got to participate in an outbound study program at the University of California, Davis, also known as UC Davis, in the United States. The Psychology student started her classes on August 7, 2023 until December.
Varied Learning System
In the first couple of months, Gia joined the student orientation held International Office of UC Davis. The event was filled with games and a pizza party to welcome international new students.
UC Davis implements a varied learning system. Students are encouraged to read reference books as a source of reference for the midterms, final exams, and quizzes.
“Most of it is a lecture session, in which the lecturer delivers the material following the course contract. Other forms of learning systems include group assignments. Typically, within one quarter (6-10 weeks), we have midterms, final exams, and quizzes. The material is obtained from reference books,” she said.
What differs from the education system in Indonesia is the office hour system or 1-hour additional sessions with the lecturers. The sessions are available if students seek further explanation of the material in a more private setting.
Among all the courses, cognitive neuroscience is the most memorable because of its flexible learning system, where students are not required to attend lectures. Besides, the lecturer Sean Noah Ph.D. gives out donuts at the end of class as a token of appreciation for the students’ attendance.
“Post the final exam, I cried outside the class. I was sad about completing this course. The cognitive neuroscience course and Mr. Sean Noah have significantly impacted my life,” said Gia.
Being a research assistant and expanding the network
Gia chose UC Davis as the host university due to its credibility in the US. It provides a great opportunity to develop herself.
“Choosing one of the campuses in the United States will broaden my perspective on how a country with leading universities conducts the education process. Being in the US, I also want to learn a lot about business because the US is where many prestigious companies are born,” she said.
“Lastly, my reason for choosing UC Davis is ‘Go Big or Go Home’. If I have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to study abroad, I should go far to absorb as much knowledge as I can and return to Indonesia to benefit the community,” Gia told UNAIR NEWS.
During her studies, she had the opportunity to become a research assistant in one of the cognitive neuroscience labs, the Luck Lab. This field has not been developed in Indonesia before.
“UC Davis has adequate facilities to support research in the field of cognitive neuroscience. Thus, by becoming a research assistant, I can learn things that I couldn’t learn in Indonesia, such as how to operate EEG (Electroencephalogram) machines,” she said.
Gia also frequently acquires new knowledge about the culture, education system, and social system in the United States. These aspects shape a society with different characteristics from Indonesia.
“I have made many new friends from different countries, such as Japan, India, the United States, and many more. My friends are not only UC Davis students but also staff and instructors working at UC Davis,” she added.
Positive Culture Shock
At the beginning of her studies at UC Davis, Gia was amazed by the city’s environmentally friendly and pedestrian-friendly transportation. She was also surprised by the large portion sizes of food.
“It’s quite easy for me to adapt to culture shock. As the saying goes, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’. I have to set aside my native culture and learn about the local culture,” she said.
“Once I had a broad understanding of the local culture, I assimilated both cultures into my life as an exchange student,” she said.
Through the IISMA program, she hoped that all the knowledge she has gained could impact the nation.
“I want to share the knowledge I’ve gained with people who haven’t had the same opportunities. This experience will motivate me to contribute to the country, such as advancing the field of cognitive neuroscience in Indonesia,” Gia said.
Author: Aidatul Fitriyah
Editor: Binti Q Masruroh
