Tepat 5 hari yang lalu, 21 Maret 2019 saya membuka sebuah email yang memberi tahu bahwa terdapat important update mengenai aplikasi saya mendaftar S2 di New York University jurusan General Psychology. Karena di email tidak dituliskan bahwa itu application decision, saya pikir, mungkin ada beberapa dokumen yang perlu diupload sebagai referensi bagi panitia penerimaan untuk mempertimbangkan kembali aplikasi saya. Saya mengetahui bahwa aplikasi saya mungkin tidak begitu meyakinkan, khususnya nilai GRE verbal saya yang rendah. Sehingga, ketika saya mengunjungi link yang direferensikan di email tersebut dan login di website New York University, saya sama sekali tidak memiliki ekspektasi apapun bahkan tidak tahu bahwa itu acceptance decision! Saya begitu santai membukanya dan beberapa saat otak saya memproses tulisan yang saya lihat...
Saya seketika langsung tutup wajah dan berteriak kegirangan. Ini adalah kampus yang saya tuju sesuai dengan aplikasi LPDP dan memiliki jurusan Psikologi di antara terbaik di dunia. Dan ya tentu saja, New York! Sebuah kota yang begitu saya impikan dengan banyaknya kesempatan, mulai dari kesempatan magang di kantor PBB hingga menjalin relasi internasional yang lebih luas. Karena banyak yang bertanya mengenai esai saya (personal statement), atau ingin bertanya tapi ragu, saya menuliskan di postingan ini mengenai esai yang saya tulis.
Perlu diketahui, bahwa saya seorang deadliner. Kebetulan saya menuliskan esai itu di dua hari terakhir sembari begadang sebelum pendaftaran universitas. Hal ini dikarenakan sebelumnya, saya fokus belajar GRE, menyusun CV, bulak-balik kampus meminta rekomendasi, dsb. PLEASE JANGAN DITIRU! Karena sampai sekarang, saya menyadari bahwa ini bagian dari kesalahan saya saat mendaftar universitas. I could have done better kalau saya menulis esai ini 2-3 minggu sebelum deadline aplikasi.
Mengenai Proofreading dan Grammar Check.
Untuk grammar check, saya menggunakan Grammarly. Bukan grammarly premium, melainkan versi yang gratis. Tentu saja banyak advance error-nya yang tidak disebutkan mana bagian yang salah dari tulisan saya. Tapi dituliskan bentuk kesalahannya apa, misalnya "Passive Voice Misuse" atau "Inappropriate Colloqualism" dsb. Jadi setiap bentuk kesalahan itu saya Googling untuk saya pelajari dan mencari kesalahan di esai saya untuk dibetulkan hingga saya menuliskan esai tanpa kesalahan grammar. Setidaknya itu yang dikatakan oleh Grammarly. (Note: as you can see on my bookmark bar, saya suka manhwa dan live action jepang, maklum manusia juga :D)
Tapi kalau saya saranin, kalian perlu memiliki lebih banyak waktu untuk esai ini. Termasuk minta proof reading, bukan oleh diri kalian sendiri, namun juga oleh orang lain yang lebih profesional. Jika kalian tidak mengenal orang profesional yang bisa kalian mintai tolong selalu dengan senang hati, kalian bisa menggunakan website ini https://analyze.academichelp.net/ dengan biaya hanya 4.5 dolar per halaman. Jika saya memiliki lebih banyak waktu dan memiliki kartu kredit, saya akan menggunakan jasa ini sebagai proofreader. Jika kalian sudah tahu lebih dahulu sebelum mendaftar, I know you can do better than me!
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| You can ignore my bookmark bars, graduate student juga manusia ya. |
Kemarin mendapat email personal dari kaprodi jurusan saya, Profesor . Andrianne Gans, kebetulan memang sudah sejak beberapa bulan sebelum saya wawancara LPDP, saya sudah menjalin hubungan dengan beliau menanyakan tentang jurusan ini. Apakah struktur courses-nya cocok dengan yang saya minati dsb. Dan ini menurutnya alasan saya diterima NYU (well, meskipun tidak ada alasan karena nilai standardized test GRE :-( ).
Oke, langsung ke intinya ya, mengenai esai yang saya tulis dalam aplikasi ke universitas ini. Bukan berarti esai harus struktur/format/skemanya seperti ini ya, karena universitas memiliki pertanyaan esai yang berbeda. Perlu teliti dan baca baik-baik pertanyaan tersebut dan buat bullet poin, apakah masing-masing yang ditanyakan sudah terjawab dalam esai atau tidak. Kalau saya diminta menuliskan dua tipe esai. Yang pertama adalah Academic Purpose, mengenai penelitian dan bidang profesionalisme saya sesuai dengan structure courses yang ditawarkan. Yang kedua adalah Personal History Statement, mengenai kehidupan pribadi saya, keunikan dan juga apa yang membuat saya menjadi seperti sekarang ini.
Berikut Pertanyaan Academic Purpose
Please describe briefly and concisely your past and present academic, research and/or professional accomplishments as they relate to your intended field of study, your educational objectives while at NYU, and your career goals following the master's program. State your specific area of specialization in the general master's program in psychology and include your reasons for choosing this field of study. What specific goals and objectives do you have for applying to NYU?
Esai Saya: Academic Purpose.
My interest in pursuing graduate study within the field of psychology has influenced by a variety of factors inclusive of both academic and non-academic experiences. I am particularly interested in study Master of Arts in General Psychology, New York University because it is related to my educational background, bachelor's degree in psychology. A master program will give me more in-depth learning and advanced training so that I will have the expertise I need inside and outside in the academic world and society.
Before I enroll in a university, I have had one hiatus year. During that time, I had an opportunity to volunteer myself as a teacher in Al-Hikmah Islamic Boarding school, a small boarding school located in the middle of a rice field and far from the hustle of the city. I became interested in psychology when I notice the importance of coping with stress in my students having an obligation to memorize the Quran. As I listened to my students who experienced peer-problems, fears, and anxiety, I discovered myself eager to learn more about psychology and human behavior. Since then, I decided to take the undergraduate study in psychology major and was further propelled since accepted as a student at the State University of Jakarta in 2013.
I became part of the Student Executive Board and also had an opportunity to volunteer myself as a mentor for 100 school-dropouts in the PPA-PKH program (Return of Child Labor – Family Hope Program). From these non-academic activities, I learned to build a sense of social concern and increase my contribution to others. My interest in social psychology started in 2015, a seminar on gender-based violence was held by BKBPP (Agency of Family Planning and Women Empowerment) in the state high court of Kuningan, West Java. I gained an understanding of the significance of gender equality and sexual education through engaging debates and discussions among governmental representatives, independent experts, and stakeholders.
Social psychology immediately seized my interest that allowed me to work in the area. As my undergraduate work progressed, I involved myself in the activities arranged by Satu Hati NGO and PPA-PKH (Integrated Service Centre for Women Empowerment and Child Protection). We visited one house to another house of gender-based violence victims and perpetrators. Our assignments were to provide support morally, psychologically and explain what can we can help during the court. The specific duties I would love to pursue in the future are drafting public policies, continuing my work as a social activist, and working as a politician who would bring women issues particularly gender-based violence onto tables.
To support my dream as a future politician, I participated in programs held by the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection. I promote people the new legislation regarding women and child protection. Together with me was Mr. Surahman Hidayat, a member of House Representatives from VIIIth Commission in the scopes of religion, social, and women empowerment. I explained about psychological interventions can be done on the victims through emotion-focused coping; namely solving emotional problems by forgiving yourself and the perpetrators.
One of the academic factors inspired me to take a graduate study in psychology is my research interest centers around women empowerment and gender-based violence. The potential topic I plan to propose is “Gender Stereotypes in Social Psychology Contexts: Its Impact on Gender-based violence.”. The theme selection is vital as this will provide a strong foundation upon which to build the rest of my work as a social advocate. As my graduate study would progress, I hope I can discuss further with Professor Madeline Heilman of NYU about the topic. For a while, I am planning to divide key-household tasks within social psychology contexts and how gender-stereotypes specifically have an impact on discrimination and gender-based violence. Graduate study in Psychology NYU itself ranked among top 11 universities by the QS World Ranking.
To sum up, graduate study in Psychology, New York University will give me many great insights I can develop and apply in society after finishing my master degree. For all these reasons, I am keen to be admitted in your university this fall 2019 term. Your consideration in this matter is highly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Maryam Qonita.
Pertanyaan Untuk Personal History Statement
The purpose of this optional essay is to get to know you as an individual and as a potential graduate student and to understand how your background will add to the diversity of our school. Please describe how your personal background has motivated you to pursue a graduate degree. You may discuss educational, familial, cultural, socioeconomic, or personal experiences or challenges; gender identity; community services, outreach services, first-generation college status or other matters relevant to your decision to pursue graduate education. Please note that the Personal History Statement is not meant to be a general autobiography.
Esai Saya: Personal History Statement
I am impressed by the anomaly I have become: an Indonesian and obedient Muslim woman who has been actively promoting gender equality. Even though I believe what causes gender-inequality is purely non-religion. It originates from the culture, social, and economic factors. However, many conservative Muslim friends still assume that the Quran signifies superiority of men over women in all aspects. Occasionally, when I talk about the patriarchal system in Indonesia and how it causes gender-based violence, I accused as bringing western and “feminist-liberal” propaganda.
Fortunately, with my family, I am never restricted to express my opinions. Moreover, my mother encourages me to challenge traditions and accepted beliefs. For 25 years, my family has been living inside the area of Husnul Khotimah Islamic Boarding School, a modern boarding school located at the foot of the Ciremai Mountain, far from the hustle and bustle. My father was a co-founder and a former director of the boarding school which has more than 8000 of alumni. The popularity of my family among students and alumni make people expected that I would not talk feminism openly as an opposite of common cultural beliefs. For example, many parents urge their daughters to get married earlier to prevent Zina, an Islamic term for a sexual relationship between unmarried male and female.
My initial interest in gender issues started subsequent to my admittance to the State University of Jakarta, majoring in Psychology. It was further propelled after I engaged in social activities handling gender-based violence cases in my community and advocating people about the coping strategies can be done for the victims. After having done several internship programs, social activities, competitions, and conferences dealing with gender equality, I found my way and decided to give an impact in the area. Hence, I want to be a politician who will be bringing the issues on the tables, end the stigma, and rock the system. As I listened to the victims of gender-based violence, I realized that I am unequipped to deal with such a situation without further formal training in Psychology.
Going to graduate school is necessary for me as it is a framework to utilize my full potentials. I proved myself as a successful undergraduate student with numerous national and international achievements as stated in my CV. In addition to academics, I possess various skills, such as design and reading poets, so that I can bring my future classmates more diversity. I am also a practicing Muslim, proudly wearing hijab, and I respect each other beliefs. Nevertheless, when I had an opportunity to visit New York City in 2016, I realized that I carry a uniqueness that is regularly being discriminated against outside of my country.
However, I also possess leadership skills. I founded and led Open Access Indonesia, an organization with a mission advocating open access to scientific journals. I hope my skills and knowledge in open access can help the students' group to finish tasks more efficiently.
Thankfully, I granted a full scholarship from LPDP (Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) Scholarship to pursue my master degree in 2019. There are different regulations implemented for 2018 awardees: 1) We only have one year to obtain a Letter of Acceptance, 2) We can only apply to one university, and 3) We are not allowed to change the major either change the university destination. It means that if I accepted, I would be a strong potential graduate student. The sponsorship letter has uploaded on the additional information page.
Nevertheless, New York University is my first and only choice because it offers psychology courses with an integrated approach. This method often leads to a novel hypothesis and promotes the synthesis of research findings across disciplines. I have visited NYU, and the university itself has very diverse students that allow me to learn a lot from each one of them. To go to school anywhere else, it seems that I would be missing out that kind quality of education.
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Sekian adalah esai yang saya tuliskan sehingga diterima di salah satu kampus terbaik di Amerika Serikat, New York University. Saya memahami bahwa beberapa bagian tulisan saya memang terdengar profokatif bagi beberapa kalangan tertentu, khususnya mengenai Muslimah, Kesetaraan Gender dan Feminisme. Untuk berdiskusi lebih lanjut bisa baca pandangan saya disini: Muslimah Memeluk Feminisme, Emansipasi dan Kesetaraan Gender. Karena Kartini pun adalah seorang Feminis tapi tidak lahir dari teori-teori feminisme kontemporer.
Saya ingin menuliskan lebih jauh lagi sih mengenai apa yang saya pelajari dalam pendaftaran S2 di Amerika dan kesalahan-kesalahan dalam penulisan esai menurut para admission officer yang saya ketahui baru-baru ini. Saya menyadari bahwa esai saya pun memiliki banyak flaws dan cacat dimana-mana setelah mengumpulkan informasi-informasi tersebut. Hmm.. meskipun I realize that I could have done better on my essay, but the most important thing is that it works!
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