A total of 12 Universitas Brawijaya (UB) students participated in the Short International Academic Program at the University of Southern Queensland Australia (SIAP UniSQ) 2024. For ten days (10-20/11/2024), they had the opportunity to take courses including Australian Culture & comparison, Nations culture, Pronunciation & Conversation class, Australian Flora Fauna, Academic Writing & Mock Job Interviews, Business & Entrepreneurship Workshop, and Formative Oral Presentation.
UB delegation came from various faculties, namely the Faculty of Cultural Studies (FCS): Nailah Mutiara Tripandra, Farhah Rodhiyyah, Ni Made Dewi Rara Septiani, Dhiya Naura Nadzifa, and Sabrina Nurhafsah Boang Manalu. Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP): Salfara Salwa Azzahra, Regina Hudda Shakila, and Rancika Olga Esterina Hutagalung. Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB): I Gusti Ngurah Yudistira Pramudya Putra, Jordy Roy Armando Damanik, and Muhammad Hisyam Fadhilah. And the Faculty of Agriculture (FP): Alisa Nabila Rahmah.
Regina Hudda Shakila, representative from the Department of Psychology of FISIP 2022 said that she learned many valuable lessons from this experience.
“Learning takes place very interactively. Every day we do group discussions and individual presentations on each course. Although there were some obstacles with the use of a British accent with fast intonation, it was finally resolved after adapting,” said Regina.
Every day, Regina and the delegation attended two courses, starting at eight in the morning after morning tea, and ending at three in the afternoon. There, she and the delegation lived with the host family.
“The welcome from the host family was very warm, so I didn’t feel homesick. It was really like a student living with a family, because every day the host family took me from home to campus, and brought me supplies. After campus activities, we went straight home and did activities together, such as watching movies, discussing politics, religion, family, and culture in between dinners, making everything more enjoyable,” said Regina.
The delegation successfully participated in this program after passing several stages of selection, such as filing transcripts using English, TOEFL and IELTS certification, and interviews in English.
The departure of the delegation was accompanied by the coordinating lecturer, namely Syariful Muttaqin, S.Pd., M.A., Ph.D.
“After participating in this program, I feel that my English skills have undergone significant improvisation. Hopefully, what I have learned can be applied in everyday life and on my home campus. I also have a higher motivation to achieve my dream of continuing my studies in Australia later. In essence, this program is really worth it. I agree with the statement that I should participate in an exchange at least once in my life. Because the experience of meeting foreigners who end up like my own family is a memorable experience in my youth,” concluded Regina. [Hilya/Irene/UB PR/ Trans. Iir]
