Not every journey to a dream university happens on the first try. Some must go through several selection rounds, wait for another opportunity, and eventually find a path they never planned before.
Eifie Julian Hikmah, a 2025 freshman in the Accounting Program at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM), from Kediri, East Java, experienced just such a journey. Before finally donning the UGM uniform, she explored various college admission paths while maintaining her academic performance and pursuing track and field.
Since her 10th-grade year in high school, Eifie has striven to maintain consistent academic grades. For her, maintaining her performance is just as important as striving to improve her grades.
“If, for example, my grades can’t go up, at least they have to stay consistent, they shouldn’t drop,” Eifie explained.
Outside of class, she also spent much of her time on the track. Eifie is an athlete with a physical disability who has competed at the national level and participated in the National Student Paralympic Games (Peparpenas) and the National Paralympic Games (Peparnas). The Paralympic Games in Indonesia are national sports competitions designed specifically for athletes with disabilities.
These athletic achievements then became part of her academic journey. She realized that success could be built not only through academic achievements but also through the field she had been pursuing all along.
After completing high school, Eifie applied through several college admission pathways, ranging from the National Selection Based on Achievement (SNBP) and the National Selection Based on Tests (SNBT) to the independent admission track. However, the opportunity that ultimately led her to the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at UGM came through a pathway she had never considered before. She was admitted to FEB UGM through UGM’s Talent Search for High-Potential Students from Low-Income Families (PBUTM) program.
“At first, I actually hadn’t even thought of applying through this pathway. After my older sibling told me about it, I finally decided to give it a try,” she explained in a recent FEB UGM podcast titled “From National Track and Field Athlete to FEB UGM Student.”
Although it didn’t involve academic tests, the PBUTM application process still presented its own challenges. Eifie had to prepare various documents, including several administrative ones. She included her athletic achievements in the supporting documentation when applying to the Accounting program.
Although the PBUTM selection process does not involve academic tests, Eifie admitted that preparing the documents was one of the most challenging parts. Several documents needed to be processed, including those obtained from the neighborhood office.
On the other hand, she wasn’t sure exactly how good her chances of being accepted were. Information regarding the number of applicants and the available admission quota at that time was also still limited. These circumstances made her hesitate for a while. However, the application fee, which she considered relatively affordable, led Eifie to decide to give it a try rather than miss the opportunity.
The waiting period was not easy. While some of her friends began receiving news of their college admission results, Eifie still didn’t dare to check her own. Until one night, she finally mustered the courage to look at the admission results. Her name was listed among the prospective students accepted to UGM through the PBUTM pathway.
“Alhamdulillah, I finally got in. Honestly, I cried and was moved because I didn’t expect it. Finally, I could say that I’d been accepted to UGM,” she recalled.
For Eifie, being accepted into the Faculty of Economics and Business at UGM wasn’t just about successfully passing a selection process. That journey was a series of experiences she’d gone through since high school. Classrooms, running practice, competitions, failures in several selection rounds, and even unexpected opportunities all became part of that same journey.
These experiences also helped her realize that the path to college doesn’t always have to follow the original plan. Opportunities can arise from things that weren’t previously considered, including achievements built outside the classroom.
Eifie’s journey shows that the path to one’s dream college isn’t always a straight line. There are various paths to take, new opportunities discovered along the way, and setbacks that must be overcome before finally reaching one’s destination.
“If you’re tired, it’s okay to take a short break, then keep trying. The important thing is to believe that you can do it,” she said.
The full video of the FEB UGM Podcast titled “From National Track and Field Athlete to FEB UGM Student” can be accessed at: http://ugm.id/KisahEifieMasukFEB
Reportage by: Najwa Anggi Namira
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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