BINUS STAR 2011

Wilson Wijaya, Management and Information Systems
Exchange at SolBridge International School of Business, Korea (2011) and ISEP Exchange at Alfred University, USA (2012)

A friend of mine told me once that you will never know what lies ahead, so when there is a chance you better go grab it! Here in BINUS, they offer great amount of chances for student development program, from academic related, non-academic, working experience to study abroad experience. I joined student exchange program offered by International Office. Not just once, but twice!
The first was through partner university. I went to Solbridge International School Business in Korea. That was my first experience living outside Indonesia. SolBridge is a nice university with enormous student diversity. You could meet a lot of people from around the world while being taught by great and experienced professors. The second was through ISEP Network. Through ISEP, students can go to various universities around the world which is so amazing. For me, I went to Alfred University in New York, USA. I should confess the application process was quite frustrating, but trust me it was paid off at the end. The fussy process was just to make sure that the whole experience would be great and amazing. And it was! I had a great time studying in Alfred. The staffs are really helpful, the professors are awesome, the people are nice, and the environment is so green (something you would never get if you spend your whole life living in a big city like Jakarta).
I am happy that I have my exchange experience as part of my university life. It wasn’t just a sweet escape from BINUS, but it was an eye-opening experience which made me grow. For me, my exchange experiences were really unforgettable and amazing. I could practice my language skill and feel the international lifestyle while building network for my future. If I could have another chance, I would be eager to go again. Thanks Binus IO!

Kevin Kane Wardhana, Computer Science
Studying in BINUS University is one of the greatest moments in my life’s journey. Flashback to 2010, I still remembered clearly in my mind how Mr. Andreas Chang as 3rd Vice Rector told to us, new BINUS students at that time, if one of us will have international experiences during our study in BINUS or at least will work in Multinational Company after we graduated from BINUS University. BINUS does not only give promises, yet BINUS makes them come true and it happened to me. At the end of my 1st year, July 2011, I got a chance to study in Kyung-Hee University, Seoul, South Korea as summer school student. At that time I did not expect I could study abroad to another country, not to mention I was still a freshman at that time. Being a part of summer school program in Kyung-Hee University was a great and life-changing experience for me. Meeting a lot of people, having alot friend from all over the world and meeting with my professor from Barkeley University, California were memorable moments that I got when I joint that program. After joining summer school program, I never dreamed I have another chance to go to Korea once again as an exchange student. Everything started when International Office offered me to apply Global Korean Scholarship to Dong-A University, Busan, South Korea. Global Korean Scholarship is basically a scholarship program that’s given by Korean government to all international students for having student exchange experience in Korea. There were 2 phases that I had to go through to get this scholarship which were internal selection in BINUS University and another selection from Korean government itself. Finally at early of February 2012, Dong-A University confirmed that I was selected to get Global Korean Scholarship form my exchange student program. During my study in Dong-A University, I already met a lot of people, discussed a lot of topics with my professors and got many advices from them for my future career. I realize those valuable experiences are benefits which I got from being a BINUS student. Without any helps, assistances and guidance from BINUS International Office, School of Computer Science and BINUS itself, I would not get those chances to have international experiences during my study in this University. Therefore, I would like to send my deepest gratitude toward my department, School of Computer Science, International Office and BINUS University as well for these life-changing experiences.