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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the American-Indonesian Scholarship Program Alumni Association (ALPHA-I) held the Exploring Educational Opportunities in the United States activity. Taking place at the Faculty of Medicine (FK) Auditorium, Sebelas Maret University (UNS) on Monday (5/2/2024), this activity, which was carried out in a hybrid manner, was attended by around 70 participants from various institutions.

There were 3 topics discussed on this occasion, namely career paths and success stories, an overview of the higher education system in the United States, how to make an application with an interesting personal statement.

This activity presented speakers from the Regional English Language Office (RELO), Thomas Kaufmann M.Ed. Ed.D; Intan Selni from USAID Friends of the Education Fund Management Institute (LPDP) and 3 alumni who received American - Indonesian scholarships, namely Dr. Vitri Widyaningsih, MS., Ph.D; Markus Budiraharjo, S.Pd., M.Ed., Ed.D; Kadek Ridoi Rahayu, SKM., MPH.

Dr. Diah Kurnia Mirawati, dr., Sp.S(K), Acting Officer of Vice Dean for Human Resources, Finance and Logistics, FK UNS welcomed this activity because it will provide many benefits for participants who are interested in continuing their education abroad.

“We really welcome this activity because it will provide many benefits, many new insights for participants. We hope that many of our lecturers at FK UNS can share this experience so they can follow in the footsteps of lecturers who have studied in America," Dr. Diah said.

One of the ALPHA-I members, dr. Vitri Widyaningsih, MS., Ph.D, explained that this activity aims to introduce how to study in the United States, the funding opportunities that prospective students can achieve, including from scholarships such as LPDP, Fulbright, and also from the destination campus.

"Hopefully with this event more people will be able to study abroad, especially in America," added Dr. Vitri.

Thomas Kaufmann from RELO explained that there are at least 8 things that must be considered when preparing a Personal Statement in a scholarship essay.

"First, write in detail your study and research plans, second, don't write about the university you are studying in general, but express your interest in the study program and faculty as well as the university ranking, third, apply for a study program that suits your interests, background and academic abilities," he said.

It was further stated not to write about extracurricular activities unless it is related to the study area, avoid explaining personal information excessively, do not use unnecessary punctuation such as exclamation marks, avoid using metaphors, clichés or contradictory things and lastly, always use words. simple and comprehensive

Feri Setyowiboyo, M.M., Ph.D as Coordinator for America and Pacific Regions International Office UNS in his speech conveyed the importance of getting international scholarships.

"International scholarships are a must because future self-development will no longer be easy for students, graduates or lecturers to compete internationally if they do not have international insight," he said.

According to him, the opportunity to get international scholarships is now wide open because the government has facilitated it through LPDP for students and lecturers. However, according to him, there are still obstacles that lecturers and students often face in obtaining this scholarship.

"Two obstacles that lecturers and students often face are making proposals and where do I want to study, perhaps because there are too many choices so I don't know which one is most appropriate to my field of science. "It is hoped that with this activity you can all gain insight and enlightenment in preparing yourself to win international scholarships," he continued.

Apart from the United States, the UNS International Office has also collaborated with Australia and the United Kingdom. This is UNS's effort to become a World Class University.

Public Relation of FK UNS