Swiss German University: Why and How

Good afternoon from Indonesia, everyone!!!

As you have read the title, I am now studying at Swiss German University (Contrary to its name, SGU is located neither in Swiss or German, instead it's located in Tangerang, Indonesia also, it's not to be confused with Saint Georges University, which is also abbreviated as SGU), with IT as the major. Now if you have read my previous blog post, you know that I was rejected from NUS, NTU, and more recently SUTD. So having been rejected from all those universities and not allowed by my parents to study overseas, why don't I study at UI (Universitas Indonesia), ITB, and some other top Indonesian Universities?

First of all, I know it's especially true for UI, that if you're accepted via invitation, you need to accept to offer, otherwise your school will be blacklisted, which means that your talented juniors won't be invited anymore. Personally, I don't like its approach, as if we're accepted to several top universities in Indonesia (or maybe in the world), then sometimes we need time to reconsider which university will you study at. Secondly, since I already studied like crazy in Wardaya College for the preparations of NUS and NTU's entrance exam, I have already worn out, and don't have spirit to prepare for SBMPTN anymore, especially after seeing SBMPTN questions for our Ujian National preparation in my course. (Note: I didn't intend to offend UI at all, so I'm sorry for those who might feel offended.)

Now you know why I don't choose UI and others, so why Swiss German University? Why choosing a university that, when I tell my friends that I'll study there, my friends will either ask "Where's SGU?", or assuming that the university is located in Germany / Singapore (IIRC I had somebody assumed that SGU is located in Singapore!)? First of all, my cousin studied Hotel and Tourism Management there, so I partially want to follow her footsteps. Second, SGU offers internships to other countries, especially to Germany, and in case I'm not accepted in Singapore, it can partially replicate my desire to go international by working in companies in another country, and hence get completely different experience, culture from working in Indonesia. And because of that, I can learn a new language! :D

Now, I have only studied there for like 2 months, but I can infer what are my first impressions in studying there. The most noticeable thing is how down-to-earth the seniors and the lecturers are (one of my lecturers said that we haven't had a professors yet). I had  instances where the seniors were refused to be called "Ci" or "Ko", and even one of them told me not to call him/her by "Kak". They said that this is because seniors in SGU doesn't want to enforce seniority. The lecturers are also really care about the students' progress, like in the algorithm course, if we don't understand something, he will be glad to approach him / her for helpla. I do feel that the lateness policy isn't enforced strong enough, though. None of the lecturers (except one) actually lock the door, and since SGU's seminars advertise this, I feel this is a bit disappointing. The food is also a bit lacking, IMO there aren't any really many foods that are affordable and taste good. Also, my classmates are generally welcoming; they're glad to accept me if I want to join their conversations / just for gather.

For conclusion, I feel that SGU has provided a right place for me to learn, despite the fact that it is one of my backup (or only?) universities. I hope that Swiss German University will be known to more people in Indonesia, and become one of the top private universities in Indonesia. Hope SGU can recruit the first professor...