UNAIR NEWS – Studying abroad is a dream of every student. Apart from the government program, studying abroad can be supported by the scholarship program from certain higher education institutions or organizations.
TF LEaRN or Temasek Foundation Leadership Enrichment and Regional Networking Programme is an annual scholarship program for ASEAN university students under the Temasek Foundation. The program consists of a summer program student exchange with three host universities in Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Management University.
Dhia Alifia Izdihar Hasna becomes one of the luckiest students who passed the exchange program selection. In an interview with UNAIR NEWS on Thursday, August 18, 2022, the second-year Public Administration student shared her inspiring student exchange experience in Singapore and Thailand.
“The one-month long summer program runs in Singapore and Thailand for two weeks in each country. I learned about this program from Airlangga Global Engagement, where I did my internship,” said Hasna.
She explained the requirements to enroll in the TF LEaRN program. For registration at the university level, the required administrative documents include an identity card, academic transcript, Curriculum Vitae, English proficiency certificate, and passport.
“Once we passed the administration selection, we need to submit the nomination letter from campus and 200-word essay to register to the host university,” she said.
The short program offers various benefits. Besides learning about other cultures, Hasna said she could also learn cross-major courses as she took different majors.
“In Nanyang Technological University (NTU), I got accepted into the School of Social Science, while in Mahidol University, I took the International Business major, in which I learned about Intercultural Intelligence, Entrepreneurship, Thailand Business, and other things,” said Hasna.
Apart from in-class learning, the students also join the company visit and work in a team on the business plan for the final project. She admitted that the discussion-based learning system was quite a challenge for her.
“The round table was prepared for discussion. The lecturers even walk around the class to check every table. It was fun, but it was a bit hard for me as the course majors are different from the one I took at UNAIR,” she said.
In the end, the program left Hasna impressed as she gained many professional networks and valuable experiences.
“Fully funded study abroad was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To pass the student exchange program, you should increase the number of international-scale activities because it affects your way of thinking globally. You can also get international networks to get to know such programs,” she said.
Author: Dewi Yugi Arti
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
