The event began with Andika Putra Pratama, Ph.D., as the Head of International Relations Division. “IRO ITB has arranged for the Jardine Scholarship program for a few years. Through socialization and an increase in applicants, the selection process from IRO ITB becomes more competitive. Last year, a total of 46 applicants went through a selection process, of which 16 passed and again went through internal selection, thus 10 sent over to the Jardine Foundation. By the end, the foundation selected 3 applicants with only 2 of them successfully admitted to Oxbridge.

“The Jardine Foundation is a CSR of the Jardine Matheson Group, based in the United Kingdom. Companies under the group include the well-known Astra International, IKEA, and Mandarin Oriental Hotel which became an interview location for candidates. Jardine Scholarship has existed since 1982”, stated Prama Putra, alumni of the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics 2011 who currently undergoes his study in the University of Oxford.

He added, there have been scholarship awardees since 2004, although Jardine Foundation initiated partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in 2009. Initially, scholarships were given to masters and Ph.D. applicants without commitment ties to any company.

Prama explained further, some criteria which determines the selection process for Jardine Scholarship includes score in English language tests such as IELTS, academic grades, Indonesian citizenship, great health condition, and fulfills other scholarship criteria. Commonly, Oxford and Cambridge accept IELTS for English proficiency test, although TOEFL is also acceptable.

Academic grades based on GPA as the main standard comes from transcript. Indonesian citizenship is a precondition, as the program is exclusive for said nationality. Health conditions are critical for visa application, one of them being negative on the test for TBC disease. Applicants must also meet certain criteria, such as leadership and fellowship experience, therefore activities such as involvement in students’ associations or organizations is a plus point.

A small advice from the previous awardee, that potential applicants should not feel abashed on showcasing information about achievements and activities during their study in ITB, from students’ associations, organizations, competitions, and committees. Jardine is interested in applicants who played key roles in their community.

Applicants who have known a supervisor from the university beforehand have a higher chance to be accepted. Moreover, they should practice on interviews using English, so candidates can display their ability confidently. Lastly, never be afraid of trying.

Reporter: Alvina Putri Nabilah (Biology, 2019)
Translator: Firzana Aisya (Bioengineering, 2021)