Choose UK

If you were given a chance to study abroad, where would it be?

To an Indonesian, Australia may be an interesting place because of is close proximity. USA being somewhat the centre of the world can be exhilarating and little things in the Netherlands can somehow make you feel like home (after all, it’s the only place in Europe where you can find ‘Kerupuk Udang Sidoarjo’ written right on your prawn crackers’ plastic packaging).

However, I’ve got my own reasons and motivation to choose UK as a place to study. Despite the presence of American influence which have been going on around me ever since I was a kid- from American music, Hollywood movies, (fast)food to NBA matches - for me, the British influence has always stood out.

Top: London Bridge, the prominent British icon, taken on a visit to London, 2006

My first encounter with the British culture is its language which I first learned when I was 6 years old. My parents enrolled me to an English course near our house but it wasn’t until I was sent to a larger language centre that I really got to know more about UK than just the language.

There, we were taught English - the British way - by native speakers from England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. These teachers showed us how to pronounce words in proper British English. Also, through reading and writing materials, we were introduced to city names like Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, Scarborough, Edinburgh, Bristol (along with the River Avon) as well as things like Double Decker, typical English policemen, fish and chips and one that sounded really weird to me – betting shops.

Overtime I’ve become fascinated not only with the language (with its complex grammar and unique accent), but also with the cultural knowledge I learned.

Then after that comes the music. My father was a big fan of The Beatles. Back in mid 80’s, he played The Beatles cassettes in our living room so often that my brothers and I eventually became fans as well. Maybe we were too young (we were still in primary school and frankly, this made us look a little bit old fashioned), but we thought their music was so cool and started collecting the cassettes, put their posters on our bedroom wall and even bought their videos (DVD wasn't invented yet).

Growing up, British music continued to flow in as my uncle introduced me to the sound of The Police, with Sting’s notable voice. Plus, I started listening to Queen.

Later on, during high school came the era of British Invasion with its so-called Britpop. It was the music trend amongst boys and girls in mid 90’s and I particularly couldn’t resist being a huge enthusiast of Oasis, Suede, Pulp, Blur, and Radiohead. Friends who played in bands started to play Britpop songs and those taking part as lead vocals copied Britpop singing style when they performed.

Top: Me, while in junior high, proudly showing The Beatles poster on my wall

After the era, influential bands such as Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Keane and Kaiser Chiefs continue to flourish and the trend doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. I guess it’s the strong British pop culture that remains and will always live. I have often wondered, perhaps if I am lucky, I might be able to see my favourite bands perform live in the UK.

But anyway, aside from this personal experience, UK education itself offers outstanding qualification. Recently, I came across a list of 200 Best Universities 2007 on Campus Asia magazine. It was ranked by Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) based on criteria such as research findings, academic and management practices, international students and international staffs. The latter is considered as one way of skills and knowledge transfer that can help prepare students to compete globally.

Both Oxford and Cambridge University rank number 2 and 3 behind Harvard. UK universities which confirm their position in the top 10 are Imperial College London and University College London. Whilst University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, London School of Economics, University of Birmingham and many other UK universities dominate the list which indicates the reputable status of higher education in the UK.

With all this in mind, I wouldn’t think twice to make my decision. UK is definitely the place to be. It’s the only place where I can benefit from its well-established education system and at the same time fulfill my childhood and teenage thirst of British bits.