Afiq Testimonial

Student’s Testimonial

 

Afiq Mohamad Riandrayana
Electrical & Electronic Engineering 2014

Greetings everyone,

I’m Afiq Mohamad Riandrayana from Jakarta, currently studying the ISE (International Studies in Engineering) bachelor program Electrical & Electronic Engineering at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Although I’ve been learning Deutsch for a year on my 11th grade, never was studying in Germany a certain thing in my mind. I understood there would be so much hassle with agents, studienkolleg entry procedures, and not to mention the expected delay of high school certificate issuance. That is until I stumbled upon the first Fast Track program at the EHEF (European Higher Education Fair) 2013 held in Jakarta. It proved to be a golden opportunity, simply bypassing the studienkolleg system itself, thus being both cost and time effective.

My first months in Germany was quite hectic. There were seemingly endless stuffs to take care of, particularly because I don’t live in the student dorms. Nonetheless, adapting to new things was really refreshing for me and eventually I started to enjoy everyday life here. I was pleasantly surprised on how easy it is to acquire halal foods, especially in Duisburg. Traveling around with public transport is quite convenient since our semester ticket covers the whole NRW (Nordrhein-Westfalen) Bundesland. Furthermore, the Schengen Visa also allow us to visit neighboring countries.

The international environment can really be felt in UDE. In the ISE program you are able to meet students literally from all across the globe, the first foreign student I befriended is from Australia as an example. This is due to everyone learning mostly the same core subjects at first. The university system differs massively in that the lecture attendance is never recorded as well as there is only one test required nearing the end of every semester to pass each subject. Therefore, granting us more freedom and responsibility on how we utilize our time.

They say time flies when you’re having a blast. That is certainly how I feel here. It is now my 5th semester and I was appointed to be vice chairman of the Indonesian student association, PPI Duisburg-Essen, for the 2016/2017 period. In my view PPI’s primary goal is to strengthen the bond between Indonesian students whilst also lend a helping hand in promoting Indonesia’s rich culture.

These last 2 years in Germany have definitely given me countless invaluable experiences. Hoping to graduate sometime in the coming year.