(16/9) One student from the International Undergraduate Program of the Department of Regional and Urban Planning (DURP) Undip successfully passed and participated in a summer course program held by the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). A student named Armeino Fadhlan Atana from the International Program class of 2021 had the opportunity to take part in a summer course entitled DISC (Design + Innovation for Sustainable Cities) held by UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design on 3^rd July – 4^th August 2023.

Armeino said that his success in joining the summer course program held by the prestigious campus that ranked 27^th in the world was originally a trial. He said that he had been eager to study abroad since he was in high school. “At first I just tried it, because my motivation to study abroad was still high. I tried to register for the summer course, I didn’t expect that I would pass it,” said this student who was born in Bandung.

He also said that he had prepared a lot of things to be accepted at the world’s most prestigious campuses. He said that he took many online courses on the internet and practiced his English language skills by himself. Besides that, he also prepared other strategies such as choosing the right and affordable English proficiency tests, as well as training in his essay and letter of intent writing. “In my essay, I wrote the problems that I face from my perspective as a city planner. Besides that, I also wrote important things in my letter of intent, such as innovations and solutions for universities in Indonesia,” he said.

As an IUP student of the Department of URP Undip, Armeino felt grateful that he had many opportunities to study with international standards in the IUP Program. He shared how he initially wanted to study abroad but his parents forbade him, so he enrolled in the IUP program. “When I was in high school, my study orientation was to study abroad. But my parents disagreed, so I chose IUP,” he said.

He encouraged other IUP students to dare to try the opportunities available to study further at the top universities. “Don’t be afraid at the beginning. Never try, never know. If you never know, you never win,” said Armeino.

The DISC program itself is attended by students from all over the world and has a rigid and long selection process. Armeino hoped that with his participation in this program, he may be able to get the opportunity to study at UC Berkeley easier later. “By joining this summer course, I can experience studying at UC Berkeley. I hope it will ease my entry (to UC Berkeley).”