Undergraduate Speedrun: How I Became the Fastest Graduate in UGM’s Chemistry Program!

PPSMB UGM 2022

Hello everyone! With the new school year fast approaching and many new students eagerly awaiting their arrival, I wanted to take a quick look back at my college days.

Let me introduce myself, I’m Ragil, a graduate of the International Chemistry Bachelor’s degree from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and coincidentally… I managed to graduate the fastest in my class! In this article, I want to share some tips about what positive things I’ve done, and what things I didn’t do back then but would definitely do if I could turn back time.

Come on, let’s discuss it right away!

Planning is Key (Seriously, Map Out Your Curriculum!)

This is the first and most important thing. As soon as you enter college, immediately review the curriculum, its regulations, the number of credits per semester, the number of required and elective courses, and any extracurricular programs you’ll need to take (such as internships).

me when looking for my curriculum

After reviewing the curriculum, we can map out opportunities. If we have the opportunity to take more credits, what can we do to maximize our time?

For example: In the second semester, I deliberately took elective courses to fulfill my KRS (Student Study Program). Then, in the third semester, there were 17 credits of compulsory courses to take. But at the same time, there was an interesting learning opportunity: the Independent Entrepreneurship program from the Ministry of Education and Culture’s MBKM, which could be converted up to 20 credits.

I did the math. In the fifth semester, there are 16 mandatory credits. I wondered how I could participate in Entrepreneurship Freedom and convert credits without taking an extra year of study?

If I assume I can take the maximum 48 credits for semesters 3 and 5, that means I still have 15 credits left that I can use for Independent Entrepreneurship. So the strategy: in semester 3 I take Independent Entrepreneurship (converted to 15 credits) plus take 9 credits of compulsory subjects. I transfer the remaining compulsory subjects from semester 3 to semester 5, so in semester 5 I take exactly 24 credits. That’s it!

Wirausaha Merdeka UGM 2023

Another example: I saw a gap in my sixth semester. I immediately thought I could take an exciting program in the even semester (semester 4 or 6). Sure enough, in my fourth semester, I got the opportunity to study for a semester at the University of Warsaw! I ended up transferring the compulsory courses from semester 4 to semester 6. That’s how important it is to plan your studies early.

me, Alex, and Feyza :D

Don’t Underestimate Organization

This is an important point whose benefits I’ve only recently realized. In organizations, we learn many soft skills from scratch. From recruitment to interviewing, it turns out these skills (along with speaking and negotiation) are highly sought after in the workplace.

I used to be a member of the external organization Stacks Indonesia, where I served as an event organizer and MC for blockchain meetups. I also served as President of the Gadjah Mada Blockchain Club (GMBC). From there, I successfully secured a grant from the Ethereum Foundation, and the organization is officially listed on the RoadtoDevcon website! (This kind of experience is great for your future portfolio.)

Road to Devcon 2024 Yogyakarta

Road to Devcon 2024 Yogyakarta

Make the Most of Your Free Time

In this day and age, fresh graduates without compelling experience are hard to attract from major companies. If you want a good position when you start work, you need initiative.

For example, take an internship. If on-site work isn’t possible, you can look for online internships. This internship is just one example; you can also do other relevant things like volunteering, independent projects, and so on. Don’t leave your resume blank!

Find a “Minor Subject” That Catches Your Attention Quickly

I hope you can find a specialization in your major quickly. I myself studied chemistry, and in my third semester, I realized I was really interested in computational chemistry. Computational chemistry skills aren’t possessed by all students, even though we’ve all probably already studied other chemistry subjects.

Once you’ve identified your passion, you can then prepare a research topic you’d like to pursue if you have an idea. If you don’t have any ideas yet, just discuss it with your professor.

Communication Initiative with Lecturers (If I Had Known This Earlier!)

This is the most important thing, and honestly, I wish I could have realized it sooner! I just realized that when it comes to thesis writing, we’re the ones who need to graduate. Lecturers rarely check up on us, and (to put it bluntly) they don’t really care how long it takes us to graduate, hahaha.

If I had known I could chat and communicate about my thesis long before I took the thesis course, I’m sure I could have graduated much faster than I am now, hahaha. I managed to graduate early thanks to a “realization” that only emerged in my 7th semester (my final semester). So, please take the initiative to approach your lecturers!

Don’t Be Afraid of the Thesis Exam

I see so many students terrified of facing their thesis exams. They’re afraid of making mistakes during their presentations, afraid of not being able to answer the lecturer’s questions.

Thesis Exam day!

My advice: don’t worry! As long as you write and read your thesis yourself, there’s no need to worry. All the answers are already in that thick draft, as long as you write it completely and honestly.

Formal Documents are Easy to Get

Many people think that processing formal documents on campus is incredibly bureaucratic and time-consuming. In fact, we can actually obtain formal documents from the academic department quickly if we know the right way.

For example, at UGM, we can email the faculty’s academic department directly to request documents. If it still hasn’t been processed, we can and are perfectly welcome to follow up with an officer in person (don’t be afraid to be proactive and ask questions!).

A real-life example of this occurred when I was processing my graduation documents. I thought it would be difficult and take days to get the thesis approval page signed by two examiners, two supervisors, and the dean. Not to mention the need for library-free documents with the chemistry department library.

I almost failed my graduation exam because I wasn’t quick enough to prepare my graduation documents, as I was overthinking things. But when I actually took action by emailing the department and proactively asking, I was able to complete everything in just one day, hahaha. The point is, don’t let campus bureaucracy get in the way!

Last but Not Least: Have Fun!

College is a fun time. The rest of the time, just have fun, enjoy your youth, and make lots of friends (good one). But remember, don’t have so much fun that you forget your responsibilities, because you could miss out on many golden opportunities.