土木一 Patricia Naomi N. G. 邱婉婷
It’s the graduation season at National Taiwan University1, meaning we are bidding farewell to the seniors who graduated from NTU. In this article, you get to see what two of our graduates have to say about their lives at National Taiwan University Civil Engineering (NTUCE). They are Tantyo Intan (陳迪耀) and Budiman Halim (林晃永), who are both from Indonesia. Tantyo had just graduated from his bachelor’s degree at NTUCE, while Budiman graduated from his master’s degree at NTUCE. Budiman had also completed his undergraduate degree at NTUCE two years ago. Be sure to stick to the end because they have left some remarkable advice for the civil engineering community.
To begin with, Tantyo and Budiman had their own reasons behind their decision to choose Taiwan, specifically NTU, as their university choice. Tanyo found out about NTU in 2019 when he went to a Taiwan Higher Education Fair in Jakarta, searching for the place where he would spend his next four years. “During the visit, I recognized National Taiwan University, which is known as the best university in Taiwan, and later found out that they have an English-taught program for the civil engineering major, which piqued my interest,” he stated. Budiman, on the other hand, chose to study at NTU due to it being one of the most prestigious universities in the world while still being affordable to study at. Besides that, they both agreed that Taiwan is a country with a diverse culture, thereby allowing international students to learn more about the culture as well as an opportunity to learn traditional Chinese.
What inspired you to study civil engineering?
Tantyo Intan
As a matter of fact, the reason Tantyo chose civil engineering in the first place is because it was the only engineering major at NTU, which provided a curriculum fully taught in English at the time. However, he mentioned that during his time at NTUCE, he found himself actually enjoying the various courses and found out that the work done in this engineering field will collectively provide great benefits to society and humans’ lives. Although during his study there were ups and downs, especially during his first year when he wanted to change his major, it was a time he would regard as the “adaptation phase,” which is “where I entered a completely new environment, with not even one friend to begin with, and speaking a completely different language,” he said. After feeling this way for one year, his turning point was the moment Tantyo asked himself these questions: “What’s the underlying reason you want to change your major? Is it that you really do not fit in and would like to pursue another major? Or is it because you want to escape from all the challenges you are facing?”. From there on, he chose to be more open and accepting of the environment he lived in by giving it a second chance to prove that it was fun and exciting in its own way. Tantyo mentioned, “My experience at NTUCE is not only about the end goal; it is also about the process and, most importantly, the people that I meet along the journey.” He also added some of his most memorable experiences from his time studying civil engineering, such as when he had to pull an all-nighter to study together with his friends for final exams, having a dinner together with his fellow Indonesian seniors and juniors, and enjoying a feast with the professor and other students of his batch in front of the Civil Engineering Building. According to Tantyo, “those memories left a lasting impression during my study at NTUCE.”
Budiman Halim
Inspiringly, Budiman explained his motive for learning civil engineering. “All my life, I really dreamt of becoming a teacher in order to equalize the education level for the children in my home country and find that one of the biggest issues is the inadequacies of the school facilities.” With that, Budiman chose to study civil engineering with the aim of understanding how to make buildings cheap but strong, such that he can build schools in places that don’t have adequate access to schools. He also added that he would probably teach there too. Not only did Budiman receive the “清寒獎助學金” and other scholarships during his study here, he also interned at a structural engineering consulting company, where he got to learn how buildings were designed and also the considerations taken during the design phase. “During the internship, I felt that the uncertainties of the ground condition seemed to be one of the main problems during designing,” he stated. Despite that, the structural engineering consulting company only focuses on the buildings in the downtown area, which is mostly flat land. But in rural areas, it is dominated by slopes instead, which make buildings there more tricky due to the possibility of the construction causing landslides. However, after finishing his undergraduate studies, Budiman felt that what he learned in his bachelor’s degree seemed inadequate to reach the big dream he had. Due to this reason, Budiman chose to continue his master’s degree study in the geotechnical department under the guidance of Professor Meei-Ling Lin, who is famous for her research in the field of slope stability.
Studying civil engineering at NTU can surely open up opportunities and allow you to embark on a remarkable journey throughout university life. From practical, hands-on courses like cornerstone, keystone, and capstone to alumni sharing and career fairs, NTUCE offers students a comprehensive preparation to establish their careers. There are also summer internship programs that grant students special access to Taiwanese businesses. Not just that, joining NTUCE also plays a huge role in building your character. Tantyo mentioned how, throughout his university experience, a main strength he got to develop was being highly adaptable to every situation. This, he believed, is due to “the opportunity I have to study abroad, not only for my undergraduate degree in Taiwan but also for summer school in Korea and an exchange semester in Manchester.” With those experiences, he got to transform himself from his reluctant past into someone who can easily adapt and make meaningful friendships in a new country.
Graduating from NTUCE, Tantyo and Budiman have similar plans to work in Taiwan for some time. Budiman plans on earning enough money to either continue doctoral study or maybe even enough to actually build a high-school education institution in Indonesia, his home country. Budiman thinks that in 5 years, he will be in the middle of continuing his study. Then, he hopes to be a teacher by the end of 10 years in the future. ”My end goal would always be to be a teacher, either for high school or college students,” he explained. Tantyo, on the other hand, thinks that in 5 years he will be in Europe, working on projects regarding sustainable and smart cities. He stated, “I will be gaining industrial experience in Taiwan for 2-3 years, and then I will go for a master degree in Europe.”
What advice would you give to your juniors in civil engineering?
Tantyo Intan: “For those who are still studying at NTU, I really hope you all stumble upon various opportunities that would make your undergraduate journey a more meaningful one. Keep on pursuing the excitement, embrace failure as just another life experience, and cherish every memory you make.”
Budiman Halim: “Civil engineering is a place to find your passion because it encompasses the disciplines from all engineering departments. During your study, there would surely be some subjects that would need more time to be understood, but please always remember that the aim of studying for a bachelor’s degree is to understand all the crooks and crannies of the discipline so that in the future you will have a general understanding of how the world is built by civil engineers. When you find something that intrigues you, please do discuss it with the professor during their office hours. Always believe that there is no such thing as a silly question because whatever it may be, it could be the seed that changes the future, either your future or the world’s future.”
This article was written in July, 2024