It seems so dreamy and surreal to see other people pursue their education in foreign countries, making us wonder what it would feel like to experience it ourselves. But the starting steps and journey we need to take can also be a lot to deal with emotionally, mentally, and financially.
Shape Your Life understands this struggle and as a way to help aspiring students out there, we’ve invited the founder and CEO of Gores Denai, Ayesha Felice, to share her experiences of studying in the Netherlands and shed light on the reality checks that you may just need.
1. The options you can get
Ayesha shared that most Indonesian high-school students tend to only focus on getting accepted into public universities in Indonesia. Of course, this is completely fine, but Ayesha highlighted that they actually have another option: studying abroad. The issue here is a common perception that studying abroad can be very expensive. This is of course apparent from the tuition fee and living cost of foreign countries, but what most students keep on forgetting is the amount of existing financial support that they can apply to.
Ranging from university scholarships to government programs, Indonesian high-school students need to know that they can get these options and opportunities.
2. Easy to get accepted, but hard to stay
One of the most prominent cultures shock Ayesha experienced during her study in the Netherlands is the academics at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. She shared that the final exams account for 100% of a student’s GPA, so the standard is set very high. Preparing for one exam can be very difficult, especially if you’re also pursuing a double degree in Public Administration and Philosophy.
Ayesha noted that it is important to acknowledge that drop-outs are very common in the Netherlands, and sure you can get a partial tuition fee refund, but no one has really addressed how hard it is to survive for 4 years studying abroad. She added that students have to put a lot of effort into their education because there is this possibility of getting their residence permit revoked if their GPA drops too low.
She further emphasizes that, yes, studying abroad in Europe can be very fun because you’ll get to meet new people from various backgrounds and travel to neighboring countries quite easily, but there are other responsibilities that international students have to face after getting accepted.
3. Don't forget to explore your opportunities and yourself!
The number 1 benefit of studying abroad that Ayesha highlighted during the Zoom webinar was, being able to know herself better. She shared that back in her high-school days, Ayesha was such a nerd and mainly focused on studying and participating in MUNs, but once she’s studying in Erasmus, the academic level got so much more difficult.
After surviving 3 final exams, final presentation, and group work in just a month, Ayesha is confident that she has become wiser and more mature. She has explored a lot of studying methods and as a result, understood her capabilities better and encouraging herself to unlock even more new opportunities. She is currently an elected member of Erasmus SSB Faculty Council and the CEO of Gores Denai, an organization to help young Indonesians.
Despite all the possible hardships you may have to face, we still encourage you to take that leap of faith to pursue your dreams of studying abroad. And of course, Shape Your Life is always ready to help you kick-start your journey!