Student Life

The moment you first set foot at BINUS, you will feel the atmosphere of a modern higher education institution, with a dynamic, innovative and exciting computerized IT infrastructure. BINUS offers more than you would expect from a typical university: a fully networked campus cyber-community.

Culture shock is not a shocking or sudden event as most people expect. It does not happen all at once or in one day. Instead, it happens gradually, and slowly as it is part of a learning process. As you try to adapt to the new environment, you may or may not experience some discomfort before you are able to settle in the new setting. This discomfort is a natural stage of the adaptation process.

In order to prepare for the cultural differences that you are about to encounter abroad, it is helpful to recognize your personal values and how they derived from your culture. Your perceptions influence the way you are looking at a situation. Thus, when faced with a situation, it is important to take into account the different cultural traits, customs, and views. Be open to accept changes. And learn to see beyond the cloud judgment that hinders you to redefine the situation. Keep in mind that it is normal to have some ups and downs during the period of adjusting to the new culture. The experience can be beneficial for your personal growth and to broaden your horizon.

In order to open a local bank account in Jakarta, you will need a valid passport and KITAS, which is issued when students applied for VITAS. (however, most exchange students who applied for a semester in BINUS usually applied for Socio Cultural Visit Visa. To apply for KITAS, student may need to apply for at least four months in advance).

For those students planning to cash in travelers checks, they can go to a money changer:
InterAsia (Authorized Money Exchange)
PT Inter Asia Konverta
Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim No. 96 Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
Phone: (021) 3141255 – 3141259 – 3902167
Fax: (021) 3141002

Generally, international students may be able to withdraw money (administration fee may be applicable) from local ATMs in Indonesia if the ATM cards support the interbank network.

Living in Jakarta can be relatively cheap depending on each student’s lifestyle. The number given below is just an approximation.

Accommodation (in BINUS SQUARE)*:

• Single Occupancy USD 250 / month
• Double Occupancy USD 200 / month

Transportation, food, and others:
estimate 500 USD / month (depending on lifestyle)

*Prices are subject to change

Indonesia offers a variety of cuisines from different parts of provinces (typically the people in Indonesia adore spicy food). A lot of provinces in Indonesia have cuisines that are generally spicy, such as Padang, Manado, or even Sundanese food.

Rest assured though, not all Indonesian food are spicy. Javanese food are mainly sweet, ask the natives to know more about local delicacies. In addition to local selections, you can also find excellent Chinese, Japanese, Western and many other international cuisines quite easily.

While Jakarta has its fair share of traffic issues, there are numerous modes of public or demand-responsive transportation services.

Taxi
Taxi is widely available in most large cities and some smaller towns. Metered taxis are usually only found in the main cities and major tourist areas. Taxi drivers do not always know how to get to the desired destination and passengers may have to tell them. Like all public transport vehicles, taxis have yellow number plates. Some of reliable and recommended taxi companies:

• Blue Bird Group: Bluebird (blue cab), Silverbird (black cab, premium taxi)
• Express (white cab)
• Transcab (yellow cab)

Bajaj
Pronounced as“baj-eye”, it is a bright orange color tricycle scooter that has back seats for two passengers, with the driver in front. It’s a popular way to get around town since they can weave through Jakarta’s interminable traffic jams much like motor-bikes can. Although slow, boneshaking (suspension is not a feature in a bajaj), hot and the quick way to breathing in more exhaust fumes than you ever thought possible, riding around in these little motor-bugs can really grow on you.

TransJakarta
The Transjakarta (in Indonesian known as busway) is modern, air-conditioned and generally comfortable, although sometimes service can be spotty. The bus is often crowded during rush hours. Each trip costs 3500 rupiah.

Malls in Jakarta house most urban entertainment, eating, shopping and activity outlets, from pleasing the palette with latest nibbles, to burning things up with latest fitness classes. Large book stores keep our brains fed with latest ideas, while many international clothing and accessory brand names ensure that our vanities are well catered to. After college hours or on the weekends, you have a choice of various shopping malls in the vicinity of the campus, such as Mal Taman Anggrek, Mal Ciputra, Mal Puri Indah, Plaza Senayan, Plaza Semanggi, Senayan City, FX Mall, etc.