On the first day of UTBK-SNBT Batch I (Tuesday, 30/04), UI Salemba Campus was filled with hundreds of participants with a quiet and tense atmosphere. At the 5th Floor Computer Laboratory of the Indonesian Medical Education and Research Institute (IMERI) Building, Faculty of Medicine (FK) UI, the Morning Session exam participants lined up for file checks before entering the room at 06.45 WIB.
The exam officers and supervisors guarded the implementation of the exam very strictly. Before entering the exam room, participants were checked using a metal detector. Participants are only allowed to bring UTBK-SNBT Participant Cards and stationery so that all types of luggage are left in the waiting room. Inside the exam room, participants are required to sit according to the seat number listed on the exam card.
Although the exam started at 6.45am, a number of examinees and parents had arrived at the location at around 5.30am. Andini Salsabila, a student of SMAN 2 Cibinong, and her parents had left from Cibinong, Bogor Regency by car at 04.00, when the sky was still dark. In fact, one of the examinees who came from Bekasi decided to stay at a hotel near the exam location in order to arrive on time. Not only from Jakarta, Bekasi, Bogor, and surrounding areas, the UTBK-SNBT participants at UI Salemba Campus also came from outside the city.
One of the participants who came from out of town was Hellen and her parents from Sampit, Central Kalimantan. Liliana, Hellen’s mother, said they left Sampit by plane two days before the exam, on April 28. They deliberately chose the exam location at the UI Salemba Campus, because they wanted a survey since Hellen chose FKUI for this year’s SNBT. FKUI is the only choice for Hellen, who is a student of Taruna Jaya Sampit High School.
Hellen and her parents chose UI because it is one of the best universities in Indonesia. “Initially, we were hesitant to choose UI, because we thought it would be difficult to pass, so we wanted to go to a private university instead. However, her father still encouraged Hellen to try UI, even if she didn’t pass it was okay. Don’t let it go untried. Hopefully you can be accepted because UI is top, yes,” said Liliana.
Meanwhile, parents were seen waiting for their children to finish the exam which lasted about three hours in the gardens of the IMERI Building, the courtyard of the Faculty of Dentistry (FKG) Building and the canteens near the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) area at UI Salemba Campus. Rina and Rusli, who are from Bekasi, accompanied their son, Mujahid, a MAN 4 Jakarta student in carrying out UTBK-SNBT as a form of support so that their son felt calm.
Mujahid chose UI Computer Science Study Program as his first choice. This choice is inseparable from the advice of his mother who is also an alumnus of the Faculty of Public Health (FKM) UI Class of 1995. As the eldest child, Mujahid’s parents have high hopes for him. Rina, Mujahid’s mother said, “We continue to pray for our son who is struggling. Our son, though, is actually relaxed when he will face today’s exam. It’s us who are nervous. We hope that he will have an easy exam and get the best results.”
