F.A.Q (Frequently Asked Questions)

Hello dear readers!

Wow, this summer has been a blast! And by a blast, I mean, I slept, ate, watched, read for pleasure a lot. So much so that I completely forgot that I had other things to do! Like updating my blog.

So here I am, dear readers. I read and replied to most of the comments on this blog and emails that were sent to me. Not surprisingly, there were questions that get asked more often than others. Therefore I tried to compile a list of these frequently asked questions to make everything easier for everyone! If you don't find the answer to your question(s) here, please don't hesitate to send me an email at ananda_astrini@yahoo.com and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can!

1. Which is harder, IELTS or TOEFL IBT?

Answer: Both are hard! Especially if you don't prepare. Uh, duh. Hahaha. The IELTS (Academic) and TOEFL IBT both attempts to assess your English proficiency in an academic context. However, they do it quite differently. Although they both have listening, reading, speaking, and writing tests, their question types are very different. So I learned for IELTS first and then I found out I had to take a TOEFL IBT test. Then I learned for that, and although some skills did transfer (e.g. skimming and scanning), the TOEFL IBT test just had a totally different format. I just had to learn other skills, like note-taking. So, no, I can't say that IELTS was easier and TOEFL IBT was harder and vice versa.

My Fulbright Journey - Part 2

"We are pleased to inform you that AMINEF selection committee has finished their review on Fulbright Master's Degree Program applications, and would like to consider you for an interview which is scheduled on Friday, July 11, 2014 in Makassar."

Jumat berkah :D

Setelah menerima email itu, saya tidak henti-hentinya online dan membaca pengalaman interview para Fulbrighter sebelumnya. Saran saya adalah persiapkan list pertanyaan yang mungkin ditanyakan dan berlatihlah menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan tersebut. Apalagi ya, wawancaranya dalam bahasa Inggris, harus lancar dan PD dong menjawabnya. Jadi silahkan membuka link beberapa blog yang telah saya post pada artikel sebelumnya ya. Saya tidak akan memberitahu apa yang harus Anda jawab untuk pertanyaan-pertanyaan tersebut, karena tiap-tiap individu *pasti* akan memiliki jawaban yang berbeda-beda. Para pewawancara akan tau kok, kalau jawabanmu tidak dari lubuk hati yang paling dalam. Hehe... Kalau saya sering membaca di blog Fulbrighter saran 'Just be yourself', ya karena itu betul sekali. Saya merasakannya sendiri ketika diwawancara. Ketika kita menjadi diri sendiri, wawancaranya jadi mengalir lancar dan tak terasa waktu telah habis. Sama sekali tidak merasa 'diwawancara' tetapi lebih ke diskusi atau perbincangan biasa saja~

Pengalaman Pertama Mengikuti Tes TOEFL iBT

[Image Source: http://www.serkanburakkocoglu.com/toefl-ibt-listening-practice-tests/]

Halo halo haloooo!

Wah, wah, blog saya banyak amat debunya~ Bukannya tidak ada waktu, tetapi takut ngeposting tulisan yang gak penting-penting amat alias nyampah (which I have considered a few times. Haha). I have always admired people who have blogs and manage to post regularly, PLUS actually post something that are interesting and/or inspirational. 

Sekarang saya punya alasan yang bagus untuk kembali menulis. Yup! Sesuai dengan judulnya, saya akan berbagi pengalaman mengikuti tes TOEFL iBT. Mungkin ada yang bertanya, kok saya ngambil TOEFL iBT lagi yah, padahal kan udah ada IELTS. Pertanyaan tersebut akan saya jawab di post yang lain. Hehe.