the why questions people often ask

Hi, it's been too long! I should've made frequent updates, so I apologized for this. I hope y'all are doing fine. Even if it's not, it will be fine eventually, insyaAllah, don't worry. 

Through this post, I'd like to address the questions people (some of you, perhaps) often ask me about a specific topic: pursuing a master's in the US. 

Oh by the way, I graduated already lol. This proves how long I've been delaying this post lol.

The first why, why did I want to pursue a master's degree?

This is such a clichéd question, but it does carry so much weight; I'm not going to lie. The reasons behind pursuing a master's degree may vary from one to another. For some, this might be for career purposes, some might think it could be a way to level up, others might feel the need to do it because others did, so why they did not, or others might think just because, why not?

Actually, any reason is valid; you do you. For me personally, it has always been one of my wildest dreams. I always manifest that I need the three-letter degree behind my name, not the SST I already own (Bachelor of Applied Science), yet the Ph.D (not Pizza Hut delivery, of course). As much as it sounds crazy, I hug this dream so dearly that I won't let it slip away, insyaAllah. 

Besides, I thought that it was the only way for me "to save" myself. Frankly speaking, I didn't project myself to live in this countryside for more than 5 years, but it turned out I had to stay there for more than 6 years (by now it's my year 7). My work was not that "technically" hard, but I felt like I had been living like a blunt robot, forgetting what I had learned before working. I had come to a point where I was so insecure (too insecure, I'd say) about what I am capable of. I hold a bachelor's degree in statistics, working for a statistical office, yet I have already forgotten most of the theories and formulas. I was always scared of people asking me statistics-related questions. Such an irony, yet it's just the truth. That's why I needed to get myself studying again. I thought that pursuing a master's degree might open up a lot of new opportunities I never had before, which could save me -- not necessarily from the institution I'm working for right now. 

Oh, by the way, while I was on my journey preparing my applications and stuff, I was always reminded by a dear friend that my reason should not be solely FOMO. Just because others already did, didn't mean that should be the basis for why you should pursue a master's degree, and I agreed. However, again, it's you do you.  

Second, why did I choose Demography as a major?

Another crucial question: why Demography? Well, first things first, as long as it's not statistics lol. As I mentioned above, I spent my 4 years in undergrad studying applied statistics, but it all evaporated. I didn't remember a thing. Also, I was never a fan of statistics, and I clearly remember how I struggled to get through it. Thus, I didn't think I would survive for the master's degree if it were in Statistics. Imma such a coward :"

The reasons why I chose Demography were that it covered things I knew a little (not completely clueless), but I wanted to learn more. The concentration of my major in undergrad was social and population, and I had been working for the Social Statistics sections, where I was mostly involved in social matters, population, socioeconomic, and stuff like that. I was mostly interested in population aging and poverty at that moment. I mean, it all revolved around the populations, hence I thought Demography was a good fit. 

Some of my friends might choose Public Policy or Data Science, yet they were just not for me. Public policy course usually consists of economic subjects that I have less interest in, and data science? Ugh, I am not tech-savvy, just like a grandma living in a cave, and it must be combined with statistics that I absolutely dislike. 

Next, why did it have to be in the US?

Because I want to party in the USA, I want to be young and fall in love in NYC, and I want to have a love that's made in the USA. I've been a fan of those songs that I manifest them since a long, long time. 

Of course, those aren't my main reasons, y'all. I chose the US as my top priority because, since I was in undergrad, a wise man influenced me on how good the US education system was. Harvard, Stanford, and those well-known campuses are mostly in the US. However, I chose the country after deciding what I wanted to learn. Simply, after being convinced that it was Demography, I googled "best campus for Demography or Population Studies" (well, I might forget the exact phrase I typed atm). Princeton was the one that stayed at the top when I first looked at it, so yeah, the US was definitely the one I was going to. 

For some people, the US may sound like a bad choice, especially for my fellow Muslims, when we hear about a lot of Islamophobia. But honestly, that was the best decision I made. Regardless of the bad news going around about how bad the politics out there (even here we're all screwed up), spending 10 months in the US really taught me a lifetime time valuable lessons you may not get anywhere else. People whom I encountered there were all nice to the point where I felt like I was more "welcome and appreciated" there than in Indonesia, despite being a minority. 

Application-wise, applying to graduate school in the US is generally more complicated than the other countries. They have more requirements: they ask not only for your diploma, transcript, and TOEFL/IELTS, but also GRE (for some majors), multiple essays (the format and questions depend on the campus), many letters of recommendation that are directly sent by the referees, and so on. And to be honest, you still have to pay for the registration (well, some campuses might give you a fee waiver, but that was not what happened to me). 

However, being able to pass that application phase, figuring out how to approach your former lecturer, your boss, how to write compelling and convincing essays, how to score well on standardized tests (TOEFL/IELTS) and/or GRE), that will give you more assurance that once you get it, you really deserve it. The reason why they require a lot of things from you, unlike the campuses from other countries, is that they will evaluate your application holistically, not JUST your transcript or your TOEFL score. Thus, I feel like the US system is more fair, because for those who did not seem to have a good GPA still have a chance to pursue a higher education. For them, your competencies do not only rely on your GPA (although it is also IMPORTANT). Your reasons why you want to study matter, your background story matters, and what the referees say about you matters. 

Last but not least, why did it have to be UC Berkeley?

Berkeley was not actually my OG dream school; it was Princeton, as I mentioned above. Unfortunately, Princeton only offered a Ph.D in Population Studies. Technically, I could apply for a Ph.D with my bachelor's degree (just like most people did), but that was not just my case. I was not ready, not confident at all, so I just dropped it from my list. 

Now that I am trying to explain it to you, I am kinda confused if the question should be the campus or the country first lol. But whatever, I will explain it in my own chronological order. So yeah, after deciding the US as my chosen country, I started sorting out the best campuses that offer master's in Demography/Population Studies. Apparently, there were only four campuses that offered offline courses at that time: UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Florida State University. After that, I compared the curriculum and courses they offered. I wanted to study while enjoying every second of it, so the courses should be the ones I was interested in. Also, I ever read a paper which was written by Prof. Ron Lee, and I asked him a few questions, then he replied in just a few hours: it was just convincing me that I wanted to learn things from him (not knowing that he already retired atm).

Another consideration why I chose UC Berkeley is that I always wanted to study either on the West Coast or the East Coast for safety and diversity reasons. So yeah, in the end it was between UC Berkeley vs UC Irvine, and UC Berkeley came out as a winner for its courses (UC Irvine DASA seems to have heavy statistics courses lol) and its prestigious name as an OG UC hehe. So that's that. 

Bonus: Why was it LPDP?

For me personally, a scholarship is "only" the funding, not the goal. Yes, it is super crucial for someone like me who can't afford higher education without a scholarship, but it does not mean that I would adjust my interest and purpose just for a scholarship. What I mean by that is, What I mean by that is, I wouldn’t change my major or university just because a certain scholarship doesn’t accommodate them. Instead, I prefer to look for scholarships that can support what I genuinely want to pursue. For me, the purpose of studying always comes first, and the scholarship is there to help make that possible, not to decide my direction.

So, I chose LPDP not because I thought it had to be LPDP. It was just the best option that I had, and I am super grateful for being an awardee of LPDP, which made my dream come true. However, being an LPDP awardee comes with a cost of a contribution, and I am still working on it. I realize sharing such a post won't make it, but I'll be more than happy to help you with anything. 


At the end of the day, every “why” people ask me isn’t just about my choices; it’s a reminder of why I started in the first place. Whether it’s about demography, studying in the US, or getting a scholarship, all of it connects to one thing: I just want to keep learning and doing something that truly matters to me. 

ps. this post reflects my personal perspectives that may or may not work for everybody, so again, YOU DO YOU.