Master of International Law

After a long 12 months studying here, I am finally graduated!

Phew, law school was tough! But I should be honest that it was one hell of a fun ride. I have always known that International Law was my passion since I was introduced to the course back in my bachelor's study. It could be because of the lecturer who inspired me to pursue this study, or merely because it is very interesting since the beginning. I never thought I would like it this much. When I graduated high school, I've always wanted to be a diplomat. I was terrible at my social classes and I was actually enrolled in the science class as my focus study (because my parents told me to), but I just loved the idea being a person who meets people from different backgrounds and cultures on a regular basis and tries to solve the world's problems with them.😀 

I busted my ass off studying for the national exam which would get me into the International Relations major in my dream university, the University of Indonesia. I went through 3 exams at that time, 2 of which I did not pass. 😔 I was sad and a little bit devastated, because I even slept at my course place just to study and prepare me for the exams! I eventually got the offer from Universitas Padjadjaran, my beloved university, in its Law major. It was okay, better than not getting any acceptance at all, so I thought why not try? until on my last chance to join the biggest national exam for university enrollment: SNMPTN. 😵

I had nothing to lose, I expected nothing. In Indonesia, you can choose up to 2 majors if you study on a specific field in high school (for example, if you are from science class, you can choose 2 alternative majors such as med school or engineering school, and if you are from social class, you can choose law school or international relations school or any other related majors), and if you pass a certain score (every major in every university has their own minimum score to pass and maximum quota of new students per year), you'll be accepted. So in SNMPTN 2010, I actually came from science class, but I decided to take the social majors too (this is possible, you should pay extra for the exam, but you'll get 3 choices of schools), so my options were University of Indonesia's medical school (I knew it was impossible for me to get in in the first place, but my Dad somehow demanded it), University of Indonesia's International Relations school, and University of Indonesia's Law School. After a couple of months waiting, the result was out: I was accepted in University of Indonesia's Law School!!! 😱

So, I got 2 letter of acceptances: one from Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad), and one from University of Indonesia (UI) - both in Law major. Any sane people would choose University of Indonesia without a second thought. I would have too, but my condition forced me to do the other way. I decided to study in Unpad because it's in my hometown, and at that time my mother was in comma so I really could not leave my brother and my 5 years old sister because my Dad worked in Jakarta. Long story short, I studied in Unpad, and it was the reason I fell in love with International Law. 

"Sometimes I wonder, if I decided to study in UI, maybe... I wouldn't have received the offer to continue my master's degree in Sydney Uni, maybe.. I wouldn't have been awarded the LPDP Scholarship. We sure can make plans, but really, God always has the better and the more beautiful plans for us, eventually. 😉"

Anyway, the process that I've been through in completing my master's study was a bit rough. With me being pregnant the whole time, and the crazy papers and exams were quite challenging but I could say that I was really enjoying it. I took several courses that I thought would be beneficial for my future career, some of which were: Law of the Sea, State and Global Governance, International Comparative Labor Law, and the International Security (this one I had to take from the International Relations faculty). Master's program was quite different to bachelor's program. We had more intensive discussions during the class, and it was all about the "why"s. Several tips I'd like to give you if you plan to pursue your master's degree:

1. Be an early bird. Check the course program, and the reading materials. Always read at least the summary of the reading materials. I usually read 1-3 reading materials every week (usually it's just some certain chapters of a book). This will really help you through your classes, because usually in the class, we no longer discuss what's written in the book, but rather what you think about what's written in the book. Sometimes, it's difficult for us to understand some theories, especially when the reading materials is not written in our native language. I usually check on the cases related to the theory to understand the underlying causes of the theory 
2. If you're pregnant during your study, spend some time to relax. I free myself up on Mondays (because I don't have Monday classes and my husband is off from work on Mondays), I put Kinza on daycare and go out with my husband for lunch or to just stroll around Sydney. This really helps reduce my stress and my emotional instability during my study.😊
3. Know your game. I know when you decided to pursue your master's degree you must have known what you've gotten yourself into. But, there are a lot of things that you need to consider when deciding to take which class you are going to enroll. Find out which professor is popular: this is to know whether your lecturer is a person who can make you really understand the subject you are studying or not. Some professors, they have tons of achievements and are very well known for their work in the field, but it does not always mean that they are good at teaching. I use my opportunity meeting these 'famous lecturers' only to get advice, insights or have a discussion on certain topics I am interested in, but not for a semester-long class. Another tip, check the syllabus of the subject carefully. Some lecturers require us to complete our course with a sit-in tests, some others with final papers. I would really recommend you to choose the ones with the papers because we can use our papers as the foundation of some journals we can write later in the future, this can also be very beneficial if you want to take a more in-depth research on the subject you are interested in.😉

All in all, master's study was difficult but it was really worth the time and effort spent. 😁 So here I am, 25 years old and finally earning my Master of International Law degree from one of the best Law Schools in the world! Unbelievable.