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Declared graduated with a near-perfect GPA of 3.9, who would have thought that academic activities were not the only focus of Dede Kurniyawan during his education at the Postgraduate Program in Communication Sciences (Pascakom), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia (FISIP UI). Unmitigated, he held strategic positions in two organizations at the same time, namely the Deputy Village Head of the University of Indonesia Education Fund Management Institution (LPDP UI) and the Chair of the University of Indonesia Communication Science Postgraduate Student Association (Himpaskom UI) 2.0. In the midst of his busy schedule, he still has time to enjoy his hobby of sports activities through his membership in two different communities.
How does Dede Kurniyawan balance his academic and non-academic activities? Is there any special trick to complete his education with a satisfactory GPA despite never having studied communication science? Let’s take a look at his inspiring story!
Starting from Statistics, Venturing into the World of Communication
At first, Dekur, as he is often called, was not entirely familiar with the field of Communication Science. His educational background begins with a Diploma 4 in Statistics which he took for 4 years at the Higher School of Statistics (STIS). The degree from the official school led him to take part in the Tarakan City Statistics Agency (2014-2018), then the North Kalimantan Provincial Statistics Agency as a Junior Expert Statistician Subcoordinator of the Dissemination and Statistical Services Function since the beginning of 2019 until now.
When I took that course (PTOMK), I felt that I had gained new knowledge that I could apply in BPS later.
His career, which is closely related to services and public relations, requires Dekur to meet with many parties, both internal and external, to provide guidance and consultation on statistical data. That’s when he realized that good communication and public relations skills were essential to support his work. For this reason, he continued his education at the UI Master of Communication Science Program with the support of a scholarship from the Education Fund Management Agency (LPDP).
Evidently, he admits that his choice to continue his studies is able to improve his competence in the field of communication science. He specifically mentions Perspectives on Organizational Theory and Communication Management as favorite courses that provide an understanding of how to communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
“Indeed, the majority of communication science at UI is more of a theoretical and academic study. But there are courses that I took that I felt could be useful for me in my institution. I took PTOMK (Perspectives on Organizational Theory and Communication Management). When I took that course, I felt that I added new knowledge that I could apply at BPS later,” she said.
Collaboration and Consistency: The Best Keys to Adaptation
Switching from science to humanities presented its own challenges for her. He admitted that the different lecture system and curriculum made him confused. Luckily, Pascakom UI provides opportunities for students who do not have a communication science education background to take part in matriculation which he then utilizes as a basic capital to understand the material.
It just so happens that I’ve been meeting with groups that are supportive of each other, so we back each other up.
Support from supportive friends is also considered to play a role in Dekur’s adaptation process. He and his classmates often collaborated and discussed the assignments given by lecturers. “Incidentally, most of the assignments in Communication Science at UI are group assignments. So when we have difficulties on one side, there are other friends who can complement that side. Incidentally, so far I have met groups that are supportive of each other, so we back each other up,” she said.
He recounted how the lecturers at Pascakom UI often encouraged questions and discussions in the classroom. He used the opportunity to express his opinion or ask questions to lecturers and groups who were presenting the material. To ensure he is able to understand the topic and ask relevant questions, he is accustomed to reading books, journals, or presentation materials on topics to be discussed the night before class starts.
“I don’t set a special schedule for studying. How can I optimize it all during class hours. When someone is talking, let them talk. I just focus on the presentation or what the lecturer is doing, then I take notes. I really use it to absorb a lot of things that I can absorb and I did that consistently from Semester 1 to the last semester,” she explained.
Study-Life Balance: Academics, Organizations, and Hobbies
Far from the stereotypical “college-repeat-college-repeat” butterfly student, Dekur is actively involved in two organizations and two sports communities at once. In the first six months of his membership in Kelurahan LPDP UI, a bonding organization for LPDP scholarship recipients in the UI environment, he immediately served as Head of Internal and Awardee Engagement, responsible for the organization’s internal activities and scholarship recipient relations. Six months later, she was appointed as Deputy Head of Lurah 1, in charge of overseeing and directing several areas. This position shaped him into a problem-solver who is required to be responsive and solutive to various obstacles that occur within the organization, especially related to academic and student administration.
I’m the type of kid who when I’m tired of academics and organizations, I need a certain escape so I can recharge again.
“When I was head of the field, I really designed the technical activities. But when I was entrusted with being the Deputy Head, I was more of a conceptualizer and policy maker. In addition to internal team conceptors, when there are problems related to academic or student administration at UI or LPDP, usually all children will inform me. It’s like being an advocate or communication bridge for awardees with LPDP and awardees with UI,” he explained enthusiastically.
He also played a similar role when he served as Chairman of Himpaskom 2.0 throughout 2023. As a conceptualizer and policy maker, he often provides insights to solve obstacles faced by the organization. Dekur’s leadership qualities can be seen through his ability to delegate tasks to related fields while always overseeing the needs of each field. “If they have problems such as licensing issues and others, then I start to come in to help. I give solutions, what do we think my view is,” he said.
With her myriad of activities and responsibilities, there are times when she feels mentally exhausted and needs an escape from the routine. Not surprisingly, she enthusiastically joined the softball community Pukulari (@pukularijkt) and volleyball community Volipoli (@voli.poli) based in Jakarta. Instead of being overwhelmed, she feels that sports activities are able to restore the energy lost after studying and organizing, even becoming one of her best coping mechanisms.
“I also didn’t expect to be involved in the community because it started as a fad. I was playing in Senayan and suddenly saw people playing softball. I’m the type of kid who when I’m tired of academic and organizational activities, I need a certain escape so I can recharge again. It turns out that this softball community can recharge me to be able to start again in college and in the organization,” she said.
Graduating Cum Laude, What’s the Secret?
Despite being very active in organizations, Dekur’s priority in academics has been proven through his 3.9 GPA. He is also happy to share tips for students, both those who are currently undergoing and those who are just about to start their studies. The main key that needs to be considered is careful study planning and good time management. He emphasized that students need to develop a detailed study plan for each semester, related to the curriculum that has been socialized by the study program. If students feel that they are able to adapt to academic activities during the first semester, they can start joining organizations or communities of interest.
Take advantage of the time off. So don’t be complacent with time off, while we still have other tasks.
Dekur strongly encourages students to work on scientific publications as early as possible by developing coursework that has already been done. So, he also advises students to do their coursework as well as possible. “Every lecturer always says, make the best writing possible because it could be your writing that will be used for scientific publications. That’s what I always hold on to,” he said. He himself managed to publish his research on climate change communication in the reputable journal “Mediator” managed by UNISBA in the middle of semester 3 with a 3-month work period.
“Although scientific publications are in the third semester, if you can do it at the beginning in your free time. Take advantage of vacation time. So don’t be complacent with time off, while we still have other tasks. Thesis too. If for example you already have an idea from Semester 1, just try to slowly find the material because it so happens that I already got the topic for my thesis from Semester 1. So at least I have learned about the issue from the beginning,” he said.
Dekur ended the conversation by emphasizing the importance of having a support system, one of which is the closest classmates. According to him, the support provided by his closest friends can not only improve his understanding of the material directly, but also boost his enthusiasm for learning. Given the togetherness and collaboration that has been established so far, he hopes to continue to maintain good relations with classmates even though he has completed his studies and returned to his hometown. (SAC)