Beasiswa ke Amerika

Beasiswa Prestasi USAID 2013 untuk bersekolah S2 ke Amerika sudah dibuka kembali. Sekedar informasi bahwa beasiswa ini adalah batch 2 untuk Prestasi, lanjutan dari program sebelumnya yakni HICD (cmiiw).

Ada 5 technical offices (programs/field of trainings) yang ditawarkan seperti biasa, yakni : Education, Health (US and Indonesia Univ), Environment, Economic Growth, Democratic and Governance. Setiap field of training masih memiliki kualifikasi lebih detail yang kemungkinan setiap tahunnya berbeda. Sebagai contoh pada waktu tahun lalu di program Democratic and Governance ada Urban Planning tapi di tahun ini tidak disediakan. Untuk lebih lengkapnya bisa dilihat pada website atau juga pada formulir, carilah kesesuaian program yang ditawarkan dengan bidang pekerjaan teman-teman.

By the way, program Prestasi USAID ini menurut saya sangat bagus dan lebih menjangkau setiap kalangan. Teman-teman yang berasal dari daerah pedalaman sangat disarankan untuk mendaftar. Persyaratan untuk nilai GPA S1 tahun ini hanya disyaratkan 2,75 kalau tahun lalu 3,00, selain itu juga di Prestasi tidak ditekankan para applicants memiliki skor TOEFL yang tinggi, cukup dengan PBT 450/IELTS 5/IBT 45.

Sponsor beranggapan bahwa tidak semua orang memiliki kesempatan yang sama untuk belajar Bahasa Inggris, sehingga ada kecenderungan teman-teman yang berada di remote areas akan memiliki kemampuan Bahasa Inggris yang kurang apabila dibandingkan dengan mereka yang tinggal di kota dengan fasilitas belajar yang memadai. Padahal, mereka-mereka ini juga memiliki kapasitas dan memiliki kesempatan yang sama untuk bisa menjadi pemimpin bangsa. Lagipula nantinya para peserta yang diterima akan mendapatkan kesempatan untuk belajar Bahasa Inggris lebih dalam. Pada tahun-tahun sebelumnya biasa dilakukan di LBI FIB UI, dan panjang-pendek waktu pembelajaran didasarkan pada kebutuhan masing-masing individu. Asik kan!. Tidak hanya Bahasa Inggris yang akan didapatkan, tapi juga masih ada pelajaran statistik (penggunaan SPSS) selama beberapa hari, dan juga yang paling menyenangkan nantinya adalah kegiatan Leadership Training (menurut saya sih Leadership Training adalah hal paling menyenangkan diantara yang lain XD).

Keuntungan lainnya adalah semua proses aplikasi kita ke universitas-universitas di Amerika akan ditangani oleh IIE selaku partner IIEF di US. Jadi teman-teman tidak perlu repot-repot untuk mengirimkan aplikasi dan membayar pendaftaran, tinggal memilih universitas mana saja yang kita inginkan, dan melengkapi dokumen-dokumen yang diperlukan. It is soooo easy, isn't it?. Beasiswa ini juga full coverage, semua ditanggung penuh oleh USAID, mulai dari tuition fees, living allowances(diberikan sejak mengikuti training bahasa), insurances, transports and accomodations, book allowances, bahkan juga nanti diberi laptop allowances juga loh setelah sampai di US. Oh ya, namun bagi teman-teman yang sudah berkeluarga sepertinya kurang disarankan untuk membawa anggota keluarga.

Okay, berikut saya saya cuplik informasi lengkap yang saya dapatkan di website Prestasi :

Selection Criteria
The selection process is highly competitive.
Candidates must show:
•Leadership abilities
•Excellence in a technical field
•Academic interests that are relevant to the achievement of USAID/Indonesia and GOI development goals
•Academic or other necessary qualifications for the desired training.
Field of Training
•Education
•Health
•Environment
•Economic Growth
•Democratic and Governance

General Requirement
•Indonesian citizen
•U.S. government employee/USAID contractor staff or employee where salary is directly paid by U.S. government is ineligible to apply
•Available for a minimum of 10 (ten) years of employment prior to retirement upon completion of study
•Evidence of English ability in the form of either ITP TOEFL® score of 450 or IBT TOEFL® score of 45 or IELTS™ score of 5.0
•Hold a bachelor degree or equal, with minimum GPA of 2.75 (scale 4.0)
•Have a strong commitment to return Indonesia upon graduation
•Currently not receiving scholarship from other institution
•No prior master degree
•Minimum two (2) years working experience in the same field with the proposed of study

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Following is list of documents which must be submitted together with your application form (mandatory documents):
•Completed and signed application form
•Certified undergraduate certificate and academic transcripts
•Recent photograph (4x6, B/W or color)
•Recent curriculum vitae (in English)
•Copy of valid national ID Card (KTP or Passport)
•Valid TOEFL® ITP or TOEFL® IBT or IELTS™ scores result
•Original Reference Letters, in sealed envelopes (3 Letters)
•Letter of Approval from Personnel Office of Applicant's working institution

Below documents might be attached to support your application (optional):
•Latest salary slip
•Copy of certificates and awards
•Copy of article, journal, research or cover page of your publication, etc.

Critical Dates
•Application Deadline: April 12, 2013
•Document Review : April – May 2013
•Criteria Review: June – July 2013
•Interview : August 2013
•Announcement: September 2013

Berikut adalah rincian dari Field of Trainings di masing-masing technical offices :

Education
The objective of PRESTASI (Program to Extend Scholarships & Training to Achieve Sustainable Impacts) under the Education Sector is to help build human capacity through scholarship opportunities in support of the GOI Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC), Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA), and Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare (KESRA), to better carry on quality improvements to basic education and higher education sub-sectors.

Teman-teman dari bidang Education 2012

Health
The objective of this program is to support future leaders in public health to attain graduate degrees from U.S. in public health and health sciences. Participants will study the principles of public health and health sciences from international health perspective becoming conversant with the latest evidence-based interventions to:
Improve primary health care of mothers, children, and communities
Establish health system capacity development. Health system capacity development issues including human resources management, health financing, governance, program management, quality assurance, environmental health, social insurance nursing and health care, behavior change and health promotion and laboratory
Improve bio-security and surveillance systems. Mastering the technical tools applied in surveillance, monitoring and evaluation of health programs, bio-statistical and epidemiological analysis and public health research

Teman-teman dari bidang Health In Country and in the US 2012

Environment
The objective of this activity is to support future leaders in Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resources Management in attaining higher post-graduate degrees from U.S. institutions offering accredited programs in Environmental Science, Policy, and Resources Management.

Teman-teman dari bidang Environment 2012

Economic Growth
The objectives of this program is to equip individuals from the Indonesian government, private sectors, business associations, research centers, civil society organization, and universities with professional-level human resource and educational knowledge needed to carry out their duties in the field of economics or related fields in agriculture.

Teman-teman dari bidang Economic Growth 2012

Democratic and Governance
The objectives of this program is to build the knowledge, skills and leadership capability of key officers within targeted national government units, regional governments, legislative institutions in national and regional level, media, universities, think tanks and other civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations in the areas of public administration, public policy, public affairs and related fields.
The program will contribute to Democracy and Governance objectives by targeting participants from key institutions related to anti-corruption, policy analysis and research and local governance and by building their capacity to contribute to DG development objectives and results and enhance the quality, transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness of Indonesia’s public service.

Teman-teman dari bidang Democratic and Governance 2012

Informasi lebih lanjut bisa dilihat di website PRESTASI USAID. Oh ya,berikut adalah link untuk mendownload form aplikas--> Form Aplikasi.

Selamat mencoba ya, jangan bimbang jangan ragu, semoga sukses!! 

Salam,

@frochadi