Since high school, or perhaps even middle school, I have always dreamed of visiting Japan. One of the main reasons is my admiration for its incredible technological advancements, which many people trust. Moreover, I was also deeply inspired by the discipline that the Japanese society is famous for.
However, my big dream of studying in Japan was initially hindered by the academic grades I received in school. I realized that with my current achievements, it would be difficult to secure an undergraduate scholarship to Japan. But I didn’t give up easily. I decided to change my strategy: instead of pursuing my bachelor’s degree abroad right away, I chose to continue my studies in Indonesia, specifically at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), one of the best universities in the country.
I applied through the SBMPTN (Joint Selection for National University Entrance) program, with my first choice being the Faculty of Industrial Engineering (FTI) and my second choice the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), as I was very interested in the majors of Engineering Physics or Physics.
After the SBMPTN exam, I was accepted into FMIPA and successfully enrolled in the Physics major after completing the Joint Preparatory Stage (TPB). While studying at ITB, I lived the typical academic life of a student, learning and engaging in various organizations. It was during my time on campus that I began to take an interest in optics, especially after receiving guidance from my undergraduate supervisor. This interest eventually led me to pursue deeper studies in optics up to the doctoral level, specifically in the field of photothermal heating.
During my studies at ITB, I achieved quite good academic results and graduated with cum laude honors. These achievements paved the way for my acceptance into the University of Tsukuba, which I will share more about in future posts.
Why do I refer to the process as ‘eased’? Because when introducing myself to potential professors in Japan, simply mentioning that I was an ITB graduate significantly increased my chances of receiving a positive response. This is one of the advantages I discovered, and I will discuss it further in another post.
Thank you for reading to the end of this post. Follow my journey in Japan by visiting this blog.
