Diyan T. 

Home University / Institution: Diponegoro University, Indonesia

Host University / Country: La Trobe University, Australia.

Course of study: Applied linguistics 

Duration: Masters (2 years)

Organisation: (DIKTI) Direktorate Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi / Indonesian - Directorate General for Higher Education.

Source of funding: DIKTI

What have you gained and what have you enjoyed about studying in your host university/host country?

Melbourne is a multicultural city where I can meet people from many different countries with different ways of thinking and cultures. This experience has enriched me and help me to build better characteristics as I have interacted and learned from many people from different cultures. I was also involved in some volunteer  activities, such as theater performance that promotes the awareness of cultural differences between international and local students. I also joined some anklung (Indonesian traditional music instrument) performances that promote Indonesian traditional culture. In terms of the academic life, the assignments I had were very challenging and have sharpened my critical thinking skills. 

Why do you recommend studying at your host university / country to other international students?

The assignments I had were difficult but they are very challenging and provide chances to sharpen my critical thinking skills. It helps me grow academically. In terms of place to live, Melbourne is very comfortable and you will feel like home as they provide foods from many different country and grocery shopping feels like home as well as there are stores that sell many things from Indonesia and from many other different countries. I also met very nice friends here. I feel like Melbourne as my second home. Definitely would love to go back to Melbourne.

As I came from a country where English is not my first language, the first thing that I prepared for studying overseas is to improve my English capability so that I could be able gaining TOEFL/IELTS score as required by the overseas university and not to mention by the scholarship providers. Once I could reach the satisfying English proficiency test result, I looked for the university/supervisor/subject that I wanted to apply and started submitting any application of interest.

Scholarships

I would recommend DIKTI scholarship for lecturers who are interested in studying abroad.