About two weeks ago, I was invited by AusAID Indonesia to
give a talk to about 50 Indonesian scholars who would head to Australia in a
few months’ time for their study under the AusAID awards schemes. I had fun
with them, exchanging quite a lot of information and discussing many things, such
that I think I should write down the main points of our discussions for future
Indonesian scholars.
Being a former student under the Australian Development
Scholarship (Masters) and Australian Leadership Awards (PhD), I do have some
tips to share. The tips particularly apply to studying in Australia, but I believe
it is also applicable for studying in other developed countries (e.g. USA, UK, New
Zealand, Canada and European countries). The tips are meant for general life as
a student, and not as a pre-departure package (for that, contact your AusAID
officer or other liaison officer). The tips are as follows:
General study
With all due respect to tertiary education in Indonesia in
general, many potential students received a cultural shock when they arrived in
an Australian university. Students of masters by coursework will have much more
home works to do every week, such that they have to juggle their social life
and study obligations skilfully lest they fail in the assignments and exams. Indonesian
students might feel overwhelmed by the level of activities during classroom
discussions. It can be very active, almost akin to watching a Wimbledon tennis
match at times, and shy students will feel like they’re sinking deeper into
their chairs as they found no strength to utter a word, let alone their
opinions in entirety. The problem can be exaggerated by the fact that Australian
students don’t usually raise their hands to seek permission to talk. No, they
just jump into the conversation wagon, picking up from what was left behind by
another student two seconds ago, or even interjecting it in the middle. I used
to feel so stupid for not being able to offer some thoughts in the discussions,
until I braved myself and just jumped on the speeding wagon and fired up my
points.
Be active, and expect to work hard and smart. Like, also
using half of your weekends (if you’re lucky) to study or work on assignments. In
my opinion, students of masters by coursework are better off by taking a
maximum of three full-semester mode subjects during the semester and one block
mode subject during the semester break. More than that, you’re more than likely
to break yourself. Work hard, but don’t ruin your health because of it.
Speaking of which, I think every university in Australia is
equipped with its own counselling team. Visit them whenever you feel like you
need objective but compassionate opinions and supports regarding your study,
general life and even romantic life! These counsellors take relationships
seriously. I once met a student who
opted to defer her exam because she had just broken her long term relationship and
had to move out of their shared house. Her request was granted, and she looked
better during the second exam.
Research & publication
Research students (Masters and – particularly – PhD) must organise
their time in Australia meticulously. Generally, a research student will need
to do at least two seminars in the course of their Masters/PhD life: 1)
confirmation seminar, about six month into the candidature for PhD and 4 months
for Masters; 2) exit seminar. Each university is different, so seek advice as
soon as you are settled in your designated city. For James Cook University, it
is advisable to conduct the exit seminar at least six months before you plan to
submit the thesis. I know other universities like University of Queensland has three seminars before thesis submission.
Again, check with your university and (most importantly) supervisor to know
your detailed time table. The earlier, the better.
If possible, write the chapters of your thesis in the form
of papers. It took me only a day’s work to convert one paper to a chapter, and
it saved me a lot of time to publish the results of my thesis in peer reviewed
journals. Converting a paper into a chapter generally revolves around replacing
‘we’ with ‘I’, ‘paper’ with ‘thesis’ or ‘chapter’, moving the general
introduction of the paper to the thesis’ introduction, etc. Contact me if you
want more tips of how to convert a paper into a chapter.
Attempt to submit your thesis (be it Masters by coursework minor project, Masters by research, or PhD) before you return to your home country. Too many obstacles are there waiting for you once you arrive home; social, financial, etc. I submitted my masters thesis from Indonesia, about three months after I returned home, and it was not an easy journey. I tried much harder for my PhD, but still had to submit the thesis three weeks (instead of three months) after I returned home. However, the delay was to give me more time for the final layout and final English editing, instead of the content, so I wasn't beating myself because of it. See 'working' section below as well.
Attempt to submit your thesis (be it Masters by coursework minor project, Masters by research, or PhD) before you return to your home country. Too many obstacles are there waiting for you once you arrive home; social, financial, etc. I submitted my masters thesis from Indonesia, about three months after I returned home, and it was not an easy journey. I tried much harder for my PhD, but still had to submit the thesis three weeks (instead of three months) after I returned home. However, the delay was to give me more time for the final layout and final English editing, instead of the content, so I wasn't beating myself because of it. See 'working' section below as well.
Also, attend general research skill seminars in your
universities, as many as possible. My university has general seminars for the application
of GIS in research, general statistics, general editing techniques and even how
to optimise the use of your Microsoft Word. I’m certain other universities also
have similar agenda. Visit your postgraduate research office or the like for further
information.
Working or not working?
I won’t be Miss Popularity by suggesting this, but I
sincerely and truly believe that an Indonesian student better use her/his time
in Australia to study instead of gaining some monetary profit. I am not against
students who work for extra money during their free time. I do, however, emphasize
that ‘free’ is the operative word here. I believe one must not sacrifice their
study time in the altar of personal (or familial) micro-finance. I’ve heard so
many stories about international students not finishing on time (as in, handling
the last assignment or thesis before they return to home country) because they
are too busy improving their micro-finance situations.
Here I have to reiterate that I, too, did not submit my thesis
before I returned to Indonesia. I handed in the thesis three weeks after I
arrived home. But the only thing that I still had to do was to clean up the
layout and wait for the final (and I mean, really final) English proof,
something that can be done in Indonesia and will not affect the essence of my
work. I believe my supervisors would not allow me to submit my thesis from
Indonesia had I not reached such a finishing state. So, I also handed in the
thesis when I was already back home. But I did that not from the lack of trying
to finish on time, nor because I was too busy working.
I’m not saying that improving the health of our bank account
is not important. Having more money is certainly a plus, particularly when you’re
a studying parent with two kids towed into Australia. But you’re sent to
Australia to study and to return home with that piece of paper that stated that
you are now ‘certified’. You’re not sent to Australia to improve your bank
account. It would be great to have a healthy bank account while you’re in
Australia, but please do that during holidays. Or if you really must work
during the semester, please make sure that you don’t sacrifice your
assignments, research or thesis for more income. Many Indonesians bring their
spouse into the country; and the spouses are usually working for extra income. Let
them do that for you; let them show their support by doing so. You stay in your
library/lab/office/field work, doing exactly what you must do: writing assignments,
collecting data, analysing data, and writing up your thesis/publications. Later,
when you have completed your degree and return home, you can support your
spouse in return.
To me, by the end of the day, the presence of that piece of
paper that stated that I am now truly certified, that I’m now Dr Mustika, is
much more important than how much money I had when I returned home last year.
Of course, I have to start beefing up my bank account as I arrive in Indonesia,
but I do that gladly, knowing that I’ve completed my mission in Australia. Oh,
and I have published two papers. Certainly not enough for an ARC standard, but
at least I’m heading there (note to self: finish the boat paper).
General life in
Australia
After living in North Queensland for more than seven years,
I find that North Queenslanders are relaxed, rather laid back (but not lazy)
people. They can be fun to hang around. Try to befriend more and more
Australians during your stay there. If possible, reach out to the Aborigines
and Torres Strait islanders too. After all, they are the native owners of the
land.
My university has more than 5,800 international students (almost 30% of total JCU students), enough to make one realise of the cultural
diversity on this planet. If possible, try not to share a house with another
Indonesia. The advice has nothing to do with nationalism; it has all the things
to do with learning new cultures and sharpening your English. Indonesians in
Australia tend to flock together; there will be a gathering at least every
semester (or even every three months), and you can always meet them at the
university cafes if you want to curhat
or vent out.
Do I have to bring [clothing
iron /instant noodles/rice cooker?]
No, no, and no. You can buy clothing iron, rice cooker and
other household appliances at weekly garage sales, Lifeline, Salvation Army and
others. Instant noodles are plentiful in any Australian supermarkets
(particularly Woolworth and Coles). Don’t bother stocking them. Many
cities/towns in Australia also have at least one Asian shop where bumbu pecel,
sambal bajak etc can be bought at reasonable price. I’d say leave the precious
room inside your luggage for very important books you might not be able to live
without during your study.
On that subject, Fresh
herbs/food is a big NO for the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
(AQIS). Check their websites for
further info. Better declare than getting caught and fined.
Food
Australia is increasingly becoming a diverse country with diverse
cultures. Entailed in this trend is increased places where you can dine or buy exotic
(non Western) food. Those living in large or politically important cities
(e.g., Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth…) can rest assure that
there will always be at least a Malaysian or Thai restaurant in the central
business district. As I said earlier, getting traditional Asian herbs is
increasingly becoming an easy endeavour down under. The only thing I cannot
find afresh in Townsville (or at least readily available) is tempe. That was
why I became a tempe-monster during my data collection months in Indonesia…
So…
Be grateful that you’re going down under! Not many people in
Indonesia have the chance to do so. Be excited about new things that you’re
going to learn there. And return home to Indonesia bringing new friendships and
understanding that hopefully will shape this region into a better place to
live.
Pic: Myself in front of the Cairns campus of James Cook University, mid 2005
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