Written by Albert Christian Soewongsono, VDMS Alumnus from Nusa Cendana University (UNDANA) Kupang
Awardee of LPDP Affirmation Batch I 2016
Hello VDMS Alumni, in this article I am going to share my experience and some tips of getting a LPDP Scholarship to pursue my master degree majoring in Pure Mathematics at the Australian National University. As you all may know, this scholarship is one of the most demand able scholarships available for Indonesian students, which means the competition among the applicants is extremely high. You have to show the best of yourself and that you’re worthy of this scholarship.
Identifying the Scholarship Category
First of all, what you have to do before applying for the scholarship is to identify which category of the scholarship fits your qualification. For example, if your previous studies (from primary school to university) were in the 3T area, you may fit the affirmation program of the scholarship or if you have high English proficiency score (TOEFL ITP above 550 for abroad study), you may be thinking to apply for the regular program.
The Opening of LPDP’s Language Training at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta
Preparing the Required Documents
The documents required by LPDP are academic transcripts, graduation certificates, National ID, birth certificate, essays and etc. (Please keep in mind that other categories may require additional documents, so it is important for you to read the instruction booklet carefully) and make sure that you have started collecting the documents 2-3 months before the preliminary selection starts as some of those documents such as health and recommendation letters, may take some time to be obtained.
Filling the Online Application Form
To apply for this scholarship you need an LPDP scholarship account that can be made at LPDP link and fill out its online application form. This is a crucial part, so make sure that everything has been written correctly before submitting your application. The announcement of the preliminary selection process should be made around 2-3 weeks after the registration date. Another thing to be kept in mind at this stage is, that you have to stick strictly to the rules. For example, if it is stated to write no more than 750 words for each essay then you have to write exactly as asked because, if you don’t, your application will not be considered, even if you have a very high qualification.
On the Spot Essay Writing,
After passing through the preliminary (administration) process, you will face the substantial selection stage. For those who have reached this stage previously, I believe that many would agree that this stage is the toughest one and the most energy-consuming. There are three tests at this stage which are On the Spot Essay Writing, Leaderless Group Discussion and Interview. The first two tests are mainly focused on your knowledge about the current issues ranging from Educational to Political matters in Indonesia. So, I strongly suggest you to read as many trusted news sources as you could find each day (Kompas, Tempo, and Jakarta Post are highly recommended) and do a lot of practice. In the On the Spot Essay Writing test, you will be required to write an Essay in 30 minutes about a topic (written in English, if you are applying to study abroad) consists of your personal standing, problem’s root, supporting data, and your solution for the given topic.
Leaderless Group Discussion
In this part the candidates will be divided into small groups usually consisting of 4-5 people in which they will be given a certain role to find proper solutions for the given problem in about 25-minute discussion time. This test is quite tricky because, you are not allowed to dominate the discussion which means, each group member has to deliver his/her own opinions equally. So, it is important to have a prior discussion with your team members before entering the test room.
The Interview
The last stage of the selection is the interview where you will be asked questions by three interviewers related to your previous study, social activities, your future contributions, study plan and your motivation. To overcome the interview, it is always good to read your essays many times and do some practice with your friends. During the interview, you have to be natural and remain calm and answer the entire question in an organized manner. Last but not least is to always keep your attitude. If you think that you have applied all the suggestions mentioned above, believe in yourself that you are eligible to receive the scholarship to make a future contribution to our country.
For further information about essay and CV examples as well as other detailed information, please take a look at this article that I wrote previously: https://assosiasimitra.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/berbagi-pengalaman-mendapatkan-beasiswa-lpdp-albert-christian-soewongsono/ and the LPDP official website at http://www.lpdp.kemenkeu.go.id/
A2A E – Newsletter Vol. 52 | VII | 2016
July 2016