HTTP(HIMTI Togetherness & Top Performance 2015) took place on the 12th of September, taking place in BPPT II building.

So what is HTTP? HTTP is an event organized by HIMTI(Himpunan Mahasiswa Teknik Informatika) about celebrating or welcoming the new students of SoCS 2019. HTTP is HIMTI’s biggest event taking place every year with performances such as drama, band, dance, DJ and many more. Not just performances but HIMTI also invites successful people on the IT division such as Laksamana Mustika, CEO & Founder of Elven Digital and Tyovan Ari Widagdo, Country Manager of Dolphin Browser. On location they also have a showcase of the applications made by the students of SoCS.

Application showcase

HTTP is meant to bring us together, the students of SoCS. To meet and know everyone, not just the binusians from Alam Sutera but also kemanggisan. We also got to meet our seniors, HIMTI activist and the board of directors of SoCS. In general we have fun, learn and get to know others.

We actually also got a lot of bonuses in joining HTTP such as PBC(Pengenalan Bahasa C) so we will be taught about the very basics about the C programming languange, SAT points, E-Certificate, HIMTI Kit DVD and other goodies.

                       DJ Performance

To be honest I didn’t actually attend HTTP 2015, it was a personal disinterest mostly. The only part I am interested is probably the talkshows and PBC, I am not really that interested in DJ’s, dance and band performances. But that doesn’t mean i talk poorly of HTTP it’s just a personal thing. HTTP is surely the best way in getting to know your SoCS friends and broaden your connections even more. It is also very well organized and planned, managing to invite top guests and actually gave something back to the new students.

Academic Orientation is the 2nd part of the FEP program after General Orientation, My academic orientation starts from the 7th of September until the 17th of September. While in general orientation is mostly about knowing your class mates, understanding college life in Binus University, visions and missions of Binus and about Binus University in general. Academic orientation is about getting to know the basics of your major, so everyone will have a different academic orientation experience. We got to learn about our major’s curriculum, study skills, the basics of your major and getting to know your lecturer.

The lecturer of our Global Class Computer Science program is Ms.Rulyna, S.Kom., M.M. She is kind and caring toward her students. Most of the academic orientation is learning about algorithm, I always had an interest in computers that is why I chose this major in the first place, it’s nice to finally go in-depth and learn what you like. But it is not an easy task, to be honest I am smart neither am I good in math. So sometimes it’s hard to think about the logic and steps into writing the code and making it work. The language we are learning is C, said to be the most flexible and basically you can do anything with C language. I had experiences in writing HTML and PHP but honestly it’s been a while so my memory of it got a bit rusty, and HTML and PHP is mainly for web programming. What we need is a strong sense of logic in writing this codes, pure logic. If I imagine it people like Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton even if they don’t have any knowledge if computers, if we teach them the basics they would totally be better than me, because they have a better logic ability than I do.

And on the last day of the academic orientation we have a test, I actually did train and exercise for the test but the results didn’t show. There are two parts in the test, idea competition is where you draw and write an idea for a website topic of your choice like social media for example, you draw the story board of the website and explain about what are the functions in that website page. The second part is the algorithm test, honestly the time was really strict for the test. There are five questions for the algorithm test, I ended up only being able to answer one, and most of the class couldn’t even answer one. I think only one person got three questions right. This made me realize how still poor I am and that I need to learn and exercise even more, I had to at least have a minimal of 3.0 IPK for the semester if not things would be even more difficult.

                  A Triangle

On top of that we also have classes about information technology (Internet, Hardware, how a computer thinks and so on..), curriculum (What you will learn in semesters, the boards of advisors of SoCS and so on..) and support centers in Binus University, there are a lot of them in Binus University meant to support both the binusians and lecturer, from SSC(Student Services Center) to SADC(Student Advisory and Development Center) we got to learn it all, it’s good to know you can have a place where you can ask questions if you don’t understand or get support if you are doing poorly.

Here in Binus University we are not only meant to be smart academically or our “hard skills” but it is also very very important for us to have soft skills. What is the purpose of being smart when you can’t express or presentate it in a good way, even more, what if you use that intelligence for doing something bad. In Binus if you want to graduate and submit your final essay you are required to have a 120 SAT point and 20 hour community service. So what is SAT? SAT is short for student activity transcript, meaning that if you want to graduate from Binus you need to be an active student not a passive one. One of those ways is by being active in an organization, being active in an organization gains you SAT points and also develops your soft skills. You could be a volunteer, activist, organizer or even the president if you work hard enough. Keep in mind that big companies today also look for that perk of being an active member of an organization even more if you are a leader of one, so that means finding a good job will be easier for you. Other ways of gaining SAT points is by joining a seminar, events and so on. Only things that will improve your EES (Employability and Entrepreneurial Skills) and social awareness gains you SAT points.

Graduate Attributes

That is why you don’t see binusians rioting or burning tires on the highway because we have those soft skills. Anyways, what are those soft skills? There are six key soft skills including.

1.  Self management
2.  Team Work
3.  Communication
4.  Initiative & Enterprise
5.  Problem solving & Decision making
6.  Planning & Organizing

Those are the things that Binus University values and if you think about it all of that 6 key soft skills you can have if you are in an organization, so it is very valuable to be active in an organization. Remember that soft skills help you maintain a job and also get you promoted. I myself have joined the HIMTI activist selection, I did my best in the interview and test so who knows that the results would be even if I fail I’ll still keep on trying.

This time for real.

Day one. 18/8/15

Everything is mostly the same the first day, I am transferred to batch 4, class DAS01 & DAS02. This time I am sure I am in the correct class, what’s different though is that this is a joined class with Computer Science and International Business Management together in one class. What’s the same is that we are all part of the global class program meaning that in the later semester we had to go study aboard.

In my opinion this time the BC’s are more cool and relaxed less strict than my previous AAS02 class. Again the first day is mostly just about getting to know each other and a briefing about what we will be learning in this FEP, and additional info like about the points system and general college life in Binus that we can read even more from the binders given to us. We played, introduced ourselves and played games together. We were also told about a tradition in FEP that is making some kind of “yell-yell” or song that the whole class participates in, we dance, sing and go mad together. And will be presented to the whole batch on the final day of the FEP. So the last hour or so is about gathering ideas on what the “yell-yell” would be like. Obviously we were also told what to bring and wear tomorrow that I already knew about.

           FEP Opening Ceremony

Day two. 19/8/15

There will be two materials given today the first is Binusian Journey and Binusmaya, the materials are taught by the BC’s. Binusian Journey is about the fact that hard skills is not everything like our intelligence or our technical skills but what gets you really successful in the global world is your softskills.

Technical skills get your a job. But it is the life skills that help you to get promoted. – Andreas Chang,VRIII Binus University

That is a quote from one of the vices in Binus that shows what value Binus University trusts in. That is why there are so many corrupt people in this country, maybe they are very smart but they lack the softskill to be honest. Global Employability and Entrepreneurial skills is what Binus University calls it, it is what made us able to be successful in the global market not just our hard skill but our soft skill. It had been researched and proven that softskills and not hardskills is what can make you successful. But that doesn’t mean hardskills are not important things like numerical literacy, ICT skills and so on still matters.

Another factor to be successful is by being active and not passive, active as in being a part of an organization. Big companies also look for people that have experiences being a leader or a part of an organization, that is why in Binus we are taught to be active in organizations like HMJ (Himpunan Mahasiswa Jurusan), UKM (Unit Kegiatan Mahasiswa) and Community.

The second material we received is Binusmaya. Binusmaya is a website that all binusians can access to literally receive every information needed, starting from your schedule, your grades, news, materials and so on. Binus University is truly a university that maximizes it’s usage of technology, I doubt there is a lot of universities that have this kind of technology. We can get materials for reviewing simply by accessing Binusmaya, literally the same slides that were taught today in class we can download. With the availability of Binusmaya, GSLC (Guided Self Learning Class) is possible where we can study or given assignments without having to meet in class. In addition to that we also have our binusian flazz card and E-books, making Binus University truly embracing the power of technology.

The Appearance of Binus Maya

Day three. 20/8/15

On the third day, the first material we will learn is called Binus Way. The speaker is Mr. Andreas Chang one of the vices of Binus University. Mr. Andreas Chang is a very intelligent, wise and strict man. One time during the presentation he raised his voice because the class was being noisy, but it was all for good intentions. Mr. Andreas Chang told us about the history of Bina Nusantara as a whole, about it’s humble beginnings as a computer course and how big it has grown until what we know as Binus today.

Prof. Dr Ir. Harjanto Prabowo, MM                          The Rector of Binus University and its vices

Bina Nusantara was founded by Joseph Wibowo Hadipoespito and Widia Soerjaningsih as a modern computer course in 1974 but now in 2015 it have grown into having multiple universities around Indonesia, 2 schools, education center and many other achievements. We were also told about all of the board of directors and councils in Bina Nusantara. Binus University have a vision that is “A World Class University” meaning that Binus believes in recognizing and rewarding those who are creative and have good values. Making us the students an innovative leader of the future that will bring good to Indonesia and internationally. Especially this coming 2020 where the ASEAN free market is open, now our rivals are not just from Indonesia but now we will be facing against other countries in south east asia such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and so on. That is why we are taught to have a strong soft skill so we can have a fighting chance in the ASEAN open market.

One way to gain soft skill is by joining a student organization, as in right now there is 112 student organizations in Binus ranging from organizations like martial arts, language, ICT to art. Binus University have a lot of relationships and partnerships with global and top national companies from IBM until samsung, it’s been proven that Binus graduates work in top national companies or become an entrepreneur. Not just in Indonesia but Binus graduates thrives everywhere in the global world. There is no doubt that here in Binus University through hard work I can also be a successful innovative leader in the global market.

Alumni in Sydney

The next two sessions is basically about how to be successful in university and it’s steps in Binus University. Like what is successful to you? What are your goals? Why do you study in Binus? Those are the kinds of questions asked here, being introspective by knowing your weakness and how to improve them. There are also rules that have to be obeyed and systems to be learned. Like how to participate in an exam, what is the big no’s in Binus.

Day four. 21/8/15

I am actually quite excited for this day because there will be Bunga Rampai, finally I can see and watch them presentate what types of student organizations can I join and maybe eventually be an active part of. The types of organizations available is almost insane in a way, there is everything for everyone. Do you want to learn more about computers? Yes we have that. Do you want to swim? Yes we have that. Do you want to learn a new languange? Yes we have that. It’s so varied and caters for everyone with different passions and interest. The ones I am interested in are BNCC, HIMTI and Nippon club, it’s fun and interesting to see what they show, like what communities they have, facilities, what they teach you, achievements and so on.

UKM presentation

The next session will be about gathering with the community of your beliefs. This is important because Binus believes that there is also a need of a God fearing leader, not just a smart person who forgets or don’t care about religion. Binus respects anyone from any race, ethnicity or religion, nobody will be treated differently. Every friday there is an empty time slot intended for you to use to gather around and give thank to God.

Day five. 22/8/15

This is the final day, this is where all our training ended up in. To be honest your “supposed” training haven’t been going to well a whole lot of us are being lazy and passive, but in the end we all worked together and actually managed to come up and perform something pretty good. On that day all of the classes in batch 4 is joined together in ALC, so the amount of spectators is actually pretty huge. This is the session where we all come together as one, and is the final formal session. The sessions is all hyped up by the MC’s, one by one each class performs their yell-yell until it was the time for our class. And actually everything goes pretty well, it was meant to be kinda goofy and funny at least it got the other classes to laugh with us. We sing and dance around with the music, if you would call that “dancing”. Then actually all of the buddy coordinators have something to show us too, it’s also in the same fashion what we all do. They dance and show gratitude to us. We are all also thankful the buddy coordinator can bear with us for days even if sometimes we are hard to control.

Then it was time for the expo. Expo is where all the student organizations have a booth or stand, where we can join and ask questions to them, after what we saw the day before at Bunga Rampai. This takes place in the lobby, and the lobby is all filled with people. It was packed and noisy all around. Especially from Himmarcom (Himpunan Mahasiswa Marketing Communications), they ran and yell all around the lobby, well those majors are actually known for being noisy. The first time around we are guided by our buddy coordinators around all the booths after that we are allowed to go free. As I said before, I actually joined the organizations that I had been interested in since the Bunga Rampai like BNCC, HIMTI and Nippon club.

I had always liked computers and always wanting to know more that is why I joined BNCC (Bina Nusantara Computer Club) to further enhance my knowledge and skills in computers. Technically we who are  IT majors are automatically a member of HIMTI (Himpunan Mahasiswa Teknik Informatika), but I joined it’s selection to be an activist. Because I lack the experience in being a part of an organization and I think this is an opportunity to be have. With Nippon club in general because it was a hobby and I had always been interested in the language. Actually I joined one more thing that is AM or Associate Member so basically we will be taught about software programming and work part time for Binus, I see this as an opportunity to even enhance my skills in computer science. Then it was the end of general orientation.

DAS01 & DAS02

In closing, this was surely and experience. This is an orientation like no other, people in this country most of the time thought of fear and pain when they think about university orientations but this is Binus University we are talking about. Through the general orientation we gain knowledge of the mission and vision of Binus, University life, facilities of Binus and getting to know our new found friends.

 Day one.  28/7/15

I was the first batch, I was honestly pretty anxious about it. I mean I don’t know what I will be doing for the coming week, I came with 2 of my friends from my high school that both  joined Binus, sadly none of us were in the same class we also had chosen different majors. I was in the class AASO2, I knew no one and I am not that good with making new friends. We all were in the same major that is CS or computer science, it’s good knowing everyone in the same class as you are have the same interests as you do. I am pretty sure computer science is one of Binus’s biggest number of students because Binus University itself is known for it’s accredited Computer science program and have a lot of relations with the history of Binus itself.

I don’t honestly remember that much of the material they talked about in the briefing on the first day, it was all about meeting each other and getting to know each other too. Not just us the new binusians or buddy but the BC (Buddy coordinator) too. You can call them seniors but the good thing about here in Binus’s FEP is there there is no seniority and bullying we are all together for the same cause, there is no need of making fun of each other or pulling pranks. I hope other Universities can follow what Binus did for it’s orientation.

But that doesn’t mean there is no respect or strictness, we still have to obey the rules and there are consequences if we don’t follow the rule. On the first day we were thought about the 2 march in Binus University, march Bina Nusantara and march Binusian. We were also told what to wear tomorrow consisting of a white shirt that is elbow length, a black fabric pants and black shoes. Some weird occurrences did happen in class like how my name is not in attendance list at all and other lists.

 Day two.  29/7/15

I entered class as usual with everything ready and proper from my clothes and things I need to bring like food and binder. But not even halfway through the Binusian Journey material given, it was true, I am in the wrong class as shown how I am not in any list.

So what happened turns out is that I was still inside the regular class program when I was actually global class, I was not given a new FEP card with the new date. So I went to admission and everything and given a new FEP card with a new date. The BC’s was nice enough to guide me and help me through everything. Sure I maybe just “wasted” two days when I could still be enjoying my holiday but if I thought about it, it’s not too bad. I mean because of this I have a bigger relation of knowing more people because I am in 2 classes, I got 2 card holder and 2 binders, around another 2 weeks of holiday and lastly I knew what I am getting myself into. So I guess this “misfortune” is actually more of a fortune for me.