Ayu Melati Savitri
Graduation year: 2017
I moved to Sekolah Ciputra in 2012 and I still remember the main reason I picked Sekolah Ciputra is that the school provided the IB curriculum. The other reason was I had set my eyes on Ciputra Hall. Before I studied here, the building had not been completed. A year after I joined the school, I got the chance to perform “Fly me to the moon” at Ciputra Hall. I can say that I performed at the best performing arts theatre in Surabaya.
What I would like to point out, is the school not only focus on its academic studies but balances between students’ academic and non-academic studies too, such as sports, arts, music and other subject areas. Frankly, if it was not for the opportunities I had to perform in the Ciputra Hall, whether for Ciputra’s Got Talent, assembly performances and school productions maybe I would have not pursued my musical career. Maybe I would have taken architecture, psychology, business or another major that I don’t enjoy studying. I’m so grateful that I am currently studying in the area of my passion.
About the Diploma Programme, yes it is one of the rigorous curriculums ever! It made me go through many ups and downs during my school life, but I will say that I have never regretted taking it. I would strongly suggest to my juniors to take the programme. It taught me to think critically and out of the box. Yes, there are deadlines every week, but that trained me to be a disciplined person and I figured out how to procrastinate but still meet the deadlines with effective time management (after all, we do need breaks, we are not robots, we are allowed to procrastinate sometimes). Juniors, you should not worry if you still can’t decide what majors you are going to take later on, DP is about exploring what subjects you enjoy learning. Please do not ask how many times I have changed my subjects during DP (note: a lot). Also, English A HL taught me how to write an essay, such as this.
The most memorable event of my time at Sekolah Ciputra is the school production. We played “The Wizard of Oz” and I played the main character, Dorothy Gale. I had never put myself in for a main character but Sekolah Ciputra gave me a chance to explore areas I had not tried before. I believe there will be more and more opportunities in the future for students to explore as the school is continually developing.
Recently, I was accepted into Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. My days in Sekolah Ciputra played a big role in this acceptance, especially my DP academic transcripts. The fact that I took the DP music subject prepared me for my audition. I also have one of the best teachers, Mr. David Kelly, who has supported me right through.
Sekolah Ciputra taught me to be a critical thinker and a visionary person. That’s how I nailed the interview process, by sharing my visions with Berklee College of Music. I have a vision to improve musical education in Indonesia and improve Indonesia’s music industry, pushing it to international standards. Having a vision is one of the best things I’ve learned from Sekolah Ciputra. I can clearly visualize what I want to do in 5 and 10 years time, which is to be a singer-songwriter and having a music entertainment company.
So to sum it up, I would recommend Sekolah Ciputra to others because of the benefits I have listed above. I would also strongly suggest (if I have not been clear enough), for students to take the DP curriculum. Other than that, make good use of the resources and facilities, particularly Ciputra Hall. Talk to the teachers because each teacher is good at what they do, they are specialists in their subject areas.
Finally, please enjoy your days at Sekolah Ciputra, because you only have one shot at it.
