Adelia Alfita Ramadhani: Embracing Growth Through Every Challenge

Many students feel confused and overwhelmed when they first enter college. The transition from high school to university life is not always easy, because everything becomes more independent and also more demanding. In high school, students are still guided by teachers, but in college, students must do almost everything by themselves. They need to manage their own time, complete many assignments, join activities, and also adapt with new environment at the same time. Because of that, many students feel stressed and unsure about their own abilities.

Adelia Alfita Ramadhani, or usually called Adel, is one of the students who is currently going through this phase. She is a first-year student in the English Department at Politeknik Negeri Bandung, and now she is in her second semester. Even though she is still new in college life, she already shows a good academic performance with GPA above 3.6. Since she was a child, Adel already had big interests in English. She said that English has already become her passion since early age. She explained that her parents often give her English exposure, such as movies and reading materials, so she becomes more familiar with them.

During high school, Adel actively participated in English competitions to develop her skills. One of her most memorable experiences was when she joined AECP (Annual English Competition Polban), which is an annual English competition organized by the English Department Student Association Polban (Himaris) to provide a platform for students to showcase their English abilities. In this competition, she participated in the story writing category, where she was required to write an original story in English based on a specific theme. The competition was held during her high school years, before she continued her study to Polban.

In that competition, Adel successfully achieved 3rd place, which became one of her important achievements at that time. This accomplishment showed that she had strong potential in English, especially in writing, and it helped her become more confident in her ability.

Furthermore, this experience gave a significant impact on her academic journey. After participating in the competition, she became more motivated to improve her English skills and take learning more seriously. Interestingly, she later chose to continue her study in the English Department at Politeknik Negeri Bandung, showing how the competition influenced her academic path. After entering college, she was not only a participant anymore, but she later became part of the AECP committee, where she helped organize the same competition. This shows her development from a competitor into someone who contributes to creating the event.

However, when she entered college, she realized that studying in university is very different from what she expected. Adel experienced culture shock, especially in the learning system, that is different from that in high school. She said,

“In college, everything is more independent. We really have to rely on ourselves.”

At the beginning, she felt confused because there was no one who constantly reminded her about assignments like in high school. She needed to manage everything by herself, from tasks until schedule.

Besides academic, Adel is also active in many campus activities that help her grow. She joined KPP Polban (Komisi Penyelenggara Pemira Polban), which is a committee responsible for organizing the student general election for the leader of Badan Eksekutif Mahasiswa KEMA Polban (BEM KEMA Polban). In this election, students vote to choose their student government leaders. Through this organization, she learns how to manage an event that must be structured, fair, and well-coordinated. She also develops her responsibility and teamwork skills because the committee needs to ensure that the election process runs smoothly.

She also participated as a committee in AECP (Annual English Competition Polban). In AECP, Adel was involved in organizing the event, preparing technical things, and coordinating with other divisions. She said, “Being part of AECP make me realize that organizing an event is not easy, but it really improve my teamwork and communication skills.” This experience also helps her to be more confident and understand how big events are managed.

In addition, Adel is currently preparing herself to become a staff member in Himaris, which is the English Department Student Association. As a prospective staff, she is still in the learning and adaptation phase, where she needs to understand the structure, work system, and responsibilities in the organization.

She is also attending LKMM-TD (Latihan Keterampilan Manajerial Mahasiswa Tingkat Dasar), which is a leadership training program in Politeknik Negeri Bandung that is organized by Badan Eksekutif Mahasiswa KEMA Polban (BEM KEMA Polban) that is usually held in the first semester for new students. This program aims to introduce basic leadership concepts, time management, problem solving, and teamwork skills. Through this training, students are prepared to be more active and responsible in both academic and organizational activities.

By joining LKMM-TD in her first semester, Adel was able to adapt better to college life and understand how to manage her responsibilities early. This experience helps her become more organized and aware of her role as a student, especially when she is involved in various campus activities.

From organizations, Adel learns many important skills. She improves her teamwork skills because she works with many people. She also develops her communication skills, especially when she needs to coordinate or share ideas. She said that organizational experience in college is very different from high school, because students are more independent and responsible. These experiences help her to grow and become more prepared for the future.

In academic aspect, Adel feels that learning English in college is more advanced. She said that speaking and writing are the most useful skills for her future career. She explained, “Speaking now is more focused on formal situations, especially for business or professional needs.” Because of that, she tries to improve her skills so she can be ready for working environment later.

Talking about her future, Adel already has clear goals. In the short term, she wants to maintain her GPA and continue performing well in her studies. She said that she wants to make her parents proud and also achieve good results for herself. In the long term, she hopes that in the next two to five years, she already has enough skills to enter the professional world.

She said that she feels comfortable when communicating and serving people, so that field is suitable for her. She wants to develop her communication skills more so she can work in that area.

Even though she is active and has clear goals, Adel still faces challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the distance between her home and campus, which is around 16 kilometers. She usually goes to campus by using an online transportation service, which sometimes takes a long time depending on traffic conditions. This situation makes her feel tired and requires extra effort to manage her time and energy. She needs to be more careful in arranging her schedule so she still has enough energy for all activities.

To overcome this challenge, Adel tries to apply good time management in her daily life. She makes a priority list to decide which tasks are more important and need to be done first. She also adjusts her schedule by considering travel time, so she can avoid being late and reduce unnecessary stress. In addition, she manages her energy by taking enough rest and not forcing herself to do too many activities at once. By doing these, she is able to balance her academic responsibilities and organizational activities better.

For Adel, motivation is very important. She believes that learning never stops and there is always something new to learn every day. She is also motivated by her parents and supportive environment. She wants to become someone who is useful for society in the future.

She also shares advice for other students. She said,

“Don’t compare yourself to others, but just focus on improving yourself.”

She also added,

“Opportunities don’t come twice, so when they come, just try and don’t be afraid to fail.”

Adelia Alfita Ramadhani’s journey shows that college life is not always easy, but it is part of learning process. Through her experiences in academics, organizations, and leadership training, she continues to grow and improve herself. Even though she still faces many challenges, she keeps trying and does not give up.

In the end, her story reminds us that being a student is not only about getting good grades, but also about how we grow, learn, and prepare for our future. With effort, courage, and consistency, every student can face their challenges and become better version of themselves.