Balancing work, academic, and family responsibilities is a common challenge for graduate students. Dr. Venansius Bangun Nuswanto, MBA, alumni of the DSM ITB and Dr. Maya Nabila, M.Si, have faced these challenges.
These ITB graduates acknowledge that obtaining a doctoral degree presents diverse difficulties. However, they have demonstrated that timely degree completion is achievable with high motivation and a strong support system.
“I believe in God’s intervention,” said Bangun during the MSM-DSM Lounge Expert Sharing Series on Thursday (30/5). Bangun is very grateful for the support he received throughout his doctoral journey. He mentioned that his wife set a deadline for him to complete his degree, and his supervisor regularly checked on the progress of his thesis work.
In addition to support systems, Bangun identifies five key factors that can help students complete their degrees—summarized in the acronym ARISE: Awareness, Resilience, Embracing Imperfection, Support System, and Efficiency.
Awareness involves understanding one’s abilities and limitations. Writing daily, regardless of the length, can develop resilience. Embracing imperfection means accepting that students can meet graduation requirements without pursuing perfection. Finally, efficiency can be improved by setting writing milestones and allocating daily time effectively.
Maya shared her perspective on maintaining motivation during the thesis writing process. She advised students to choose a research topic that interests them and enhance their thesis quality with elective courses. Maya emphasized the importance of creating an attractive and clear title when publishing their thesis as a journal article.
“Readers should understand what the article is about from the title. The same goes for the abstract,” she said.
Maya also suggests researching the scope and preferences of the target journal. Journals often have specific limitations on their published topics. They may prefer extensions of previously published topics to entirely new subjects.
Dr. Venansius Bangun Nuswanto and Dr. Maya Nabila provide valuable guidance for graduate students seeking to balance multiple roles and complete their degrees. With the right approach and support, the challenges of postgraduate life can be managed effectively.
