Indonesian scholars

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In 2022, Warwick welcomed ten students from the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA), the Indonesian Government student mobility scholarship scheme. The undergraduates spent one semester at Warwick, experiencing a new culture and undertaking practical assignments to enhance their skills.

How does this experience work?

Natasha Ayu Saraswati and Zitta Arlivia arrived with the 2022 intake of Indonesian undergraduates for a semester long experience of Warwick’s academic and cultural life. They described their experience and journey at Warwick with IISMA sponsorship.

Access to Cultural and Academic Opportunities

Studying abroad was important to both Natasha and Zitta. They had little international experience and they could only imagine what it's like to study abroad. The IISMA programme — a fully-funded scholarship — was a perfect opportunity for them to realise their dreams of studying abroad. It gave them the opportunity to pursue courses outside their major undergraduate focus.

Pacing the student transition

The pace at Warwick can be shocking at first, everybody can appear to understand things in class very quickly. New experiences like seminar classes can be daunting, since many undergraduates do not have these type of classes at their home university. However experience frequently relieves these fears. For Natasha and Zitta seminar classes turned out to be fun, and the challenge of studying in English was supported by teachers from Applied Linguistics providing English and Academic Support.

Academic Development

IISMA is a once in a lifetime opening as it offers opportunities undergraduates wouldn't normally be able to experience with other programmes. As Warwick is a very multicultural university, the student mobility programme is equally about studying and meeting people from various parts of the world, and learning how to interact and connect with them.

“IISMA is worth the fight! IISMA selection process was—and probably will continue to be—tough, but I can confidently say that it will be worth it. Preparing for IISMA's selection process will equip you with so many skills, including essay writing and interview skills. Getting accepted will feel so rewarding, and the whole student mobility experience itself will be an eye-opening journey. (Also: I would really recommend the next batch of IISMA applicants to apply to the University of Warwick!)”. - Natasha Saraswati

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