Australia Awards Scholarship Recipient, Fendhi Birowo, Shares the Story of How He Applied for the Fully Funded Award to Pursue His Master’s in International and Development Economics at the Australian National University

Hi, my name is Fendhi Birowo. I am from Magelang, a small but beautiful mountainous city in Central Java, Indonesia. Currently, I am working as a policy analyst at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia. I have dedicated my work and expertise to enhancing fiscal policy in Indonesia for the last 10 years. In my early career, I established a government-funded scholarship organization that manages the endowment fund, which is now developing rapidly into an international scholarship organization that sends more than 53,000 awardees to pursue their Master's and PhD in more than 42 countries. The organization is now managing a massive amount of endowment fund worth IDR 154 trillion (around USD 10.27 billion) and aims to send more than 5,000 awardees to their dream universities around the world.

In order to improve my capacity and contribute more to my home country, I aim to earn a Master of International and Development Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. Critical knowledge in international economics, policy impact evaluation, policy formulation, and social improvement is critical for me to contribute more. For this noble aim, I chose the Australia Awards Scholarship as my scholarship provider. With my strong background in economics and as the best graduate at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia, in my bachelor's degree, I was finally able to win the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship in 2022.

Australia Awards Scholarship Funding Coverage

Australia Awards is a very competitive scholarship. There are thousands of applicants each year competing for only a handful of seats—around 50 to 300 scholars per year. However hard, the Australia Awards is also a fair scholarship which provides an equal and inclusive opportunity for everyone to apply, including women, people from remote areas, and people with disability. Back in my year, I was chosen as one of 50 scholars out of more than 6,500 applicants. With hard work and perseverance, I can finally win the scholarship.

Australia Awards is a fully funded scholarship. It covers everything from pre-departure training for three weeks in Bali, health check-up, visa, Overseas Student Health Coverage (OSHC), living allowance, tuition fee, settlement allowance, flight cost, and up to reintegration cost when we finish our studies in Australia. My Master of International and Development Economics at the Australian National University is a 2-year programme with a total funding of more than AUD189,000 for two years. Australia Awards is able to fund that, even including the cost to bring my wife and my 3-year-old daughter with me to Australia. That is how generous the Australia Awards are.

Education Background

I graduated with a double bachelor's degree: Bachelor of Economics at Andalas University and Bachelor of Economics at the University of Indonesia. Both previous degrees have helped me in winning the scholarship and continuing my Master's degree.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Australian National University?

After becoming an awardee, the Australia Awards helped me to apply to the university. They even improved my English proficiency at the pre-departure training in Bali, so that at the end of the training, my IELTS score boosted to an overall score of 8.0. This made my application to the world-class university, which is the Australian National University, easier.

Prior to the application to the ANU, I prepared myself with rigorous research to determine which major would suit my interests and expertise best. Finally, my decision goes to the Master of International and Development Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Australia Awards Scholarship?

Australia Awards assessed their candidates based on three general criteria: academic competence, potential outcome on which the candidate might contribute to the development of the home country, and professional as well as personal leadership attributes. Simply speaking, anyone who wishes to win Australia Awards should be able to display the following criteria in all of their application, including essays and statements of support. For my own application, I prepared all of that by connecting the three criteria with my relevant working and professional experience.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I wrote my application with a storytelling technique. Some people call it the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result). This approach, I believe, made my application easy to read for the judge and, therefore, easier to remember.

What Would You Have Done Differently If You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I would still be myself and confident in what I have. I will tell the judges exactly the same story on how I built my academic competence, professional skill, network, and expertise to apply for the scholarship. I am proud that I can be an awardee of the Australia Awards Scholarship and finished a Master of International and Development Economics at the Australian National University with Commendation, the highest achievement at the Master's degree level.

How Was Your Experience at the Australian National University?

Studying at the Crawford School of Public Policy, the Australian National University, gave me a rich experience of academic progress as well as networking and professional advancement. I can advance my research skills by being a Research Assistant at the ANU Indonesia Project and becoming a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Research School of Economics, College of Business and Economics. The world-class teaching really expanded my horizon in understanding deeper about international economics and development, both in terms of theoretical and practical contexts.

How Do You Rate the Australian National University Academically and Why?

Australian National University is the best research-intensive university in Australia and the world. It combines both rigorous studies in international economics and a practical context on how governments formulate policy and bring real impact to the people. I will give ANU five stars out of five stars for its center of excellence.

How Does the Australian National University Support International Students?

Back in my year at the ANU, international students from around the world were coming to study and being supported by the campus. ANU provides strong support for the international community to thrive and live in harmony together. In studying there, you will gain valuable friendships and lifetime networks that will last your whole life. It is a very safe and convenient place to grow both academically and personally.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

The most important thing to win Australia Awards is to be authentic to yourself and be confident in any academic and professional achievements you possess. There is no point in imitating somebody else’s essays or writing style, as it does not reflect the true and unique value that you have besides other candidates. You need to shine in your own way