The results for the official IETLS test held by UGM Language Center on  Saturday, June 8, 2024 are out, and the UGM Language Center proudly congratulates all students for finishing the test with flying colors. 

We interviewed one student of UGM Language Center, Prientananda Ghina Salsabila, who achieved a significant milestone by scoring an overall band score of 7.5 on the IELTS exam. Her journey is not only a testament to her dedication and hardwork but also highlights the broader implications of education in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article will summarize Prientananda’s preparation, journey, her challenges, and how her success aligns with the global objectives of sustainable development. 

During the interview, Prientananda expressed how blessed and grateful she felf after receiving her score that is in line with her target. However, she still has a strong desire to aim higher and improve her score, especially in writing. Prior to the test, Prientananda utilized English on a daily basis to familiarize herself and applied different approaches for practicing each IELTS skill. For reading, she read numerous academic texts, such as journals or news articles in international newspapers. During the test, she applied skimming before reading the full text. For listening, she watched multiple English movies without subtitles and listened to English songs while taking note of unfamiliar vocabularies. For speaking, she practiced with her peers and do a lot fo mock test to recall idioms, collocations, and advanced vocabularies. Lastly, she utilized linking devices and complex sentences during the exam in her writing to achieve maximal score. “To be able to write we have to read, to be able to speak we have to listen,” she shared. She also advised to learn and study long before the d-day to avoid anxiety and perform optimally during the test. 

Like many non-native students, Prientananda found the writing section particularly challenging. She shared her difficulties as non-native speaker to get a high score despite already fulfilling the specific requirements, which she attributed to the difference of sentence arrangement between native and non-native as well as many unfamiliar academic vocabularies. However, she also mentioned how studying at UGM Language Center improved her initial score. “Fortunately, after the course, since a lot of mock tests have been given, I now know all the sections well, and so I don’t experience the same difficulty as I did anymore,” she shared.

Lastly, Prientananda also shared her gratitude for UGM Language Center that assisted her in improving her score. She expressed how IELTS is different from other tests and how one needs to understand many technical rules and tips/tricks beforehand to achieve desirable score, which are taught in the course. She also mentioned how the schedule is sometimes to tight to her liking, but nonetheless, learning at UGM Language Center has facilitated and prepared her for the test. Furthermore, she stated how UGM Language Center is flexible and willing to accept student’s suggestion and objection, which enhance the effectiveness of the course. 

Prientananda’s journey exemplifies the impact of quality education on personal growth and success, aligning with SDG 4: Quality Education, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Arabic Literature students from Padjadjaran University and North Sumatra University delivered farewell to the Head of the Arabic Literature Study Program at UGM, Dr. Zulfa Purnamawati, S.S., M.Hum., after completing a one-semester of Pertukaran Mahasiswa Merdeka (PMM) at UGM Arabic Literature. This moment took place in Yogyakarta on June 25th, 2024.

During this exchange program, the students had the opportunity to attend various courses offered by the Arabic Literature Study Program at UGM. Additionally, they were involved in cultural and academic activities that enriched their understanding of the Arabic language and culture. Dr. Zulfa Purnamawati expressed her pride in the dedication and enthusiasm for learning shown by the three students.

This student exchange program not only provided students with the opportunity to broaden their academic horizons but also to build networks and collaborations between universities in Indonesia. It is hoped that this experience will greatly benefit the students in their academic and career development in the future.

Five UGM students have pioneered the development of a platform based on Historical Tourism App that offers historical tour packages with 4 destinations namely Yogyakarta, Magelang, Ambarawa, and Semarang consisting of 9 tour packages and 66 sites, called HISTARA which stands for Histori Nusantara. They are Aditya Firdaus (Tourism, Faculty of Arts) with members Franzseka Aurellia Oenang (Tourism, Faculty of Arts), Elyzabeth C. F. Roring (Tourism, Faculty of Arts), Irkam Asroni (Archaeology, Faculty of Arts), and Fanny Elizabeth Panjaitan (Information Engineering, Engineering). Aditya explained that the development of Hisatara started from the lack of interest of generation z in historical tourism, as seen from the news that often discusses the lack of interest in visiting historical tourist attractions. Therefore, they are trying to provide services like this in order to attract generation z.

Fanny added that HISTARA is designed to be attractive and modern, designed to fit the pockets of students, “Services and services can be fully accessed through the website www.histaratour.com and will also be available on google play store”, she said. Franzeska also added, “The HISTARA application also supports the realization of the values of sustainable development goals, namely SDGs No. 4 Quality Education, SDGs No. 9 Infrastructure, Industry and Innovation, and SDGs No. 17 Partnerships to Achieve Goals. HISTARA offers tour packages at student-friendly prices with a wide selection of exciting historical tour packages.

Author: Elyzabeth

On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, the auditorium of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM witnessed an enthusiastic 9:30-11:00 event. The event began by watching an introductory video about Universitas Gadjah Mada and the Faculty of Humanities, followed by an interactive quiz about the video content. Students and teachers enthusiastically participated in this quiz, with the winners getting souvenirs as awards.

This was followed by a presentation by the Public Relations & Cooperation Unit using a PowerPoint presentation that explained in depth about the campus and faculty. A question and answer session was then held, where students asked various questions related to the excellent programs offered, the possibility of admission through organizational achievement pathways, requirements for automatic admission for high schools with parallel number one rankings, plans for new study programs, and the possibility of UKT increases.

The event was also colored by the handover of souvenirs from each school to FIB UGM as an expression of gratitude and support. The excitement of the event reached its peak with a group photo session as a closing that captured precious moments for all participants. This event is not only a forum for information and interaction, but also strengthens the relationship between FIB UGM with the education community and society at large.

The Journal Management Team of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada held a Mid-Year Monitoring & Evaluation of Journal Management & Accreditation Preparation which was held on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 9 am to 1 pm in Room R. Soegondo 709, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. On the agenda, the Journal Bureau of FIB UGM discussed matters regarding FIB journals that have been indexed by Garuda national, projected targets in 2025 so that all FIB journals are SINTA accredited, plans for Scopus resubmission poetics in 2024 and the end of 2025 Humanities, and appeals to new journals to keep running consistently. In the discussion led by the FIB UGM Journal Bureau, journal managers highlighted the importance of expanding the reach and quality of their publications to meet national and international accreditation standards. 

The projected target to achieve SINTA accreditation by 2025 was the main focus, with concrete efforts to increase the indexation of journals on the Garuda platform. The poetic planned to resubmit to Scopus within this year and focused on the Humanities by 2025 was a crucial strategy in reaching global markets and increasing the visibility of research in the humanities. The call for new journals reflected a commitment to fostering sustainability and quality in publication management, as well as ensuring that all publications remain relevant and impactful in the discipline of cultural sciences. This discussion was an important milestone in strengthening the role of FIB UGM’s scientific journals in supporting academic and intellectual advancement at the national and international levels.