How I finally decided to study abroad

I think this is one of the biggest questions you always asked yourself when deciding on pursuing further study whether it is college or university. When I approaching the end of my senior high school life, I went to a lot of educational fair in my country, Indonesia. Educational fair did not really provide you with the mental preparation on what to expect when you studying abroad. They are just promoting you with the program that the schools offered. I have already settled on the program I wanted to pursue since I was still in junior high school grade. So, looking for a college is not a really hard decision for me.

To be honest with you, my first choice is Parahyangan University in Bandung, Indonesia. It never came to me that I wanted to study abroad because I am really close with my parents and all I want to do is to stay somewhere close to them. Parahyangan University is one of many universities in Indonesia with a good architectural program. I went to apply there twice and unfortunately, I did not get accepted.

At this point in my life, I was really desperate to find a university that I liked. Even though I had a backup choice on other universities, none of them attract me. Finally, I and my friend went to apply for a college in Singapore called Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). It has no associated with Nanyang Technology University at all even though they both had Nanyang on its title. I think I did a pretty good job on the entrance exams. The entrance exam was to draw a given situation that is randomly given to you.

Weeks after I received my national exam results, I got accepted to the school with a tuition grant from the government that reduces my school tuition by half. In return, I had to work in Singapore for 3 years upon graduation. So, if you asked me why I wanted to study abroad, the reason is that I have no other choice and in order to continue doing what I love, I took the last opportunity to move to Singapore. I also thought to myself that Singapore is not too far away from Indonesia and I can always come back for a holiday.

It is really important for you to make a careful decision about where you want to study the most and not be regretful in your life. Next post, I will share with you guys how does it feel like living abroad and how does it differ from Indonesia.