The story of Daniar and William, two STEI alumni currently pursuing PhD studies in America.

Studying in another country is certainly challenging, but it also offers a wealth of life experiences. Exploring a new country, seeing things you wouldn't find in your own country, and of course, learning from people from all over the world. This is especially true for advanced degrees like Master's and Doctoral degrees, which offer greater opportunities to conduct research and meet experts from diverse backgrounds.

Studying abroad is still considered difficult and expensive for the general public, but opportunities are now much more open. Scholarships are one way, and another is through research programs. One such program is the Research Program. Garuda Ilmu Komputer (GIK). “GIK Lab” formed in 2014 by Profesor Haryadi Gunawi to prepare intelligent and enthusiastic Indonesian students to build the nation to be able to continue their studies at world-class universities, especially in the United States, in the area of Computer Science and Engineering.

In this preparatory program, Indonesian students will conduct research alongside leading international professors at the University of Chicago and other universities in the United States. GIK Lab's mission is to produce at least 100 PhD students in Computer Science within the next 10 years.

Two STEI alumni are listed as alumni of the GIK research program, namely Daniar Heri Kurniawan (Informatics ’12) And William Sentosa (Informatics ’13) had the opportunity to share stories about their experiences continuing their studies abroad. Currently, both are pursuing PhDs in the United States: Daniar is currently a Research Assistant at University of Chicago, while William is a Research Assistant at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Daniar mentioned the story of his senior, Vincentius Martin (Informatics ’10) who inspired him that he too could pursue a PhD abroad. “I met him (Vincentius Martin, ed.) at the end of 2015. He was successfully accepted into various top universities worldwide after his undergraduate degree at ITB. From there, I was explained that a PhD in America does not require a scholarship. Martin explained that a PhD is like a job and we will definitely get a salary per month that is enough to cover living expenses and tuition fees. In fact, the average PhD salary is more than the LPDP, Fulbright, and other scholarships.”

Daniar Heri Kurniawan in front of the University of Chicago.

From there, Daniar was introduced to the Garuda Computer Science (GIK) research program. His research experience was invaluable in his PhD application process. "I was curious and asked, 'How is it different from research at ITB?'" he recalled.

Research at GIK is conducted remotely with professors from the University of Chicago. The results are published in Top Conference, alongside scientific publications from MIT, Stanford, CMU, UC Berkeley, and other universities. These publications are certainly valuable for competitive PhD applications in the US. From there, Daniar decided to pursue a research program at GIK.

For William Sentosa, studying in the United States was something previously unimaginable. "I initially never thought I would be able to study in the US (United States, ed.). For me, the US is an extraordinary place to study in informatics. Many large world companies are headquartered in the US, such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon," said William. "Currently I work as a Research Assistant in the Lab. In addition, I also take several advanced courses there."

Before pursuing their current PhD programs, Daniar was accepted to three other universities, and William to six. Choosing between them was also a challenge. Ultimately, they chose the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as their research interests matched their interests and the professors were of undeniable quality.

William Sentosa, currently an RA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Daniar and William both chose Systems as their research field, but with different focuses. "My research covers Operating and Storage Systems, Distributed (Cloud) Systems. The benefits in these fields are not very visible to the layman but are very crucial in today's digital technology era," explained Daniar, "our research can help improve the performance of distributed database systems, help developers to do debugging, prevent the emergence of the same bugs/errors in the system, and so on."

William himself focuses on system security and reliability. "I want to make existing systems more secure and reliable (less prone to downtime)," he explained.

After continuing their studies in the United States, both of them already have their own plans. "For me, contributing to the country doesn't mean having to return to Indonesia. I want to help so that more Indonesian students can compete and study at the best institutions in the world. This would be difficult for me to do if I stayed in Indonesia because I myself have never encountered a paper/publication, in the field of CS, written purely by Indonesian students that has qualified for a top conference." Daniar explained. "Based on that thinking, one day I want to be a mentor at GIK if I succeed in becoming a Professor at one of the world's best universities. In addition, I want to be a sociopreneur and run a start-up company that will help the agricultural sector in Indonesia, because farmers in Indonesia are still far from prosperous."

Meanwhile, William has a different view. "I want to lead a large research lab and advance research in Indonesia. Furthermore, I also want to make Indonesian industry more sensitive to research and its applications."

Through their experiences, it's clear that studying abroad, including at top global universities, is very possible. The key is to avoid pessimism and complacency. Your goal is to study at the best university in the world that aligns with your field. While that may be challenging, realize that nothing in this world is easy. Try, fail, try, fail again, and keep trying! Let’s change ‘impossible’ to ‘I’m possible’!” Daniar advised. “Keep dreaming big and reach your goals,” William added.

Daniar also wrote about his experiences regarding his PhD, studying abroad in situs mediumnyaHopefully, their experiences can inspire students currently studying at STEI, and certainly those interested in continuing their studies abroad.