Interview is the most reliable way to know the candidates’ purpose personally after reviewing their administrative requirements as well as essays in IISMA. Although the idea of an interview may scare some applicants, it can also be a great way to broaden their chances of receiving a scholarship as the final step before the result is announced. To socialize the urgency of this section, Office of International Affairs of UAI invited two awardees of IIMA 2021 who are Keiko Annissa Arfananda, S.Li, (University of Limerick, Ireland) and Ida Ayu Mas Kusumaningtyas (Daugavpils University, Latvia) to share their own experiences in facing IISMA’s interview and their time during study abroad.
Saturday, 28th of January 2023 the class was divided into two sections. The first one was opened by Ida Ayu Mas Kusumaningtyas. She provided an unexpected interview for the candidates singly for the initial meeting. The aim is to measure everyone’s abilities and preparation for IISMA 2023 by helping them to explore their strengths and weaknesses. During this section, some of the candidates were having clear purposes in their initial interviews, but they need to make it more authentic instead of getting common in explaining it. The notes for each candidate have been taken by Ms. Kusumaningtyas as their evaluation to make improvements. Meanwhile, Keiko Annissa Arfananda, S.Li shared her experiences during her time studying in Ireland. She emphasized to all of them to make sure they read all the handbooks deeply. It is crucial to identify the criteria of the future awardee IISMA and how the benefits will help them as individuals to grow and also for the nation, Indonesia. Additionally, she cheered everyone on; it was a million worth experience for her.
Saturday, 4th of February 2023, the two awardees of IISMA 2021, Ms. Arfananda and Ms. Kusumaningtyas together with two delegates of Office of International Affairs of UAI held a mock interview for all the 10 candidates. The section was divided into two groups where each five candidates was interviewed by an awardee and a representative from UAI. Throughout the section, everyone has found out their strength and they need more consistency to make it aligned. In explaining their plans during the study abroad, the candidates also need to make it reasonable which is supported by their potential.
After conducting the mock interviews, one by one was given feedback and provision that will be the foundation for them once they pass to the interview section in IISMA 2023. To sum up, all the preparation for IISMA 2023 has been completed. The Office of International Affairs of UAI expects all of the candidates can maximize the efforts as well as the experiences that they have gained during this process. (TSH)