Program Assistant Introduction: Fitri Sari, MPA '23

Note from Admissions: We're excited to welcome our new group of program assistants (PAs) working with us here in the SIPA Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. They’ll specifically be helping you through the application and decision process over the next few months through answering your emails, calls, and writing relevant blog posts to help you during this admission process. You can learn more about assistantships and what PAs do here. So far, you've met PA Jules, PA Shally, PA Clara, and PA Ricardo we are excited to introduce our last PA!

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Fitri Mayang Sari is a proud Indonesian and is a second-year MPA candidate concentrating in International Finance and Economic Policy (IFEP) with specialization in Leadership, Innovation, and Design (LID). She holds double bachelor degrees in Accounting from Perbanas Institute and Polytechnic of State Finance STAN. Prior to SIPA, she served as a public relations specialist  at the Ministry of Finance. Her eleven years experience in the public service has polished her expertise in budgeting, financial management, policymaking and bureaucracy transformation. Fitri was part of the Indonesian National Committee for the Annual Meeting of IMF-World Bank Group in Bali, 2018. She spent more than 5,000 hours volunteering for various causes and organizations. Upon her graduation from SIPA, Fitri will resume her service for the Indonesian government.

What attracted you to SIPA and Columbia University?

When I did my research for graduate school, I had two fundamental requirements. One, it must be the best in academics, and two, it must be in a livable city that offers me once in a lifetime experience. SIPA and Columbia University ticked both of these criterias. Located in New York City, SIPA offers me a global opportunity to connect with so many organizations and people, including practicing my Spanish. In the academia scene, SIPA is foremost known as the world's top school for global public policy. SIPA’s professors are respected experts in their fields yet so generous to provide students with one-on-one sessions. A diverse international student is also what attracts me to come to SIPA. Sharing the class with people from around the globe has enriched the discussion in classes and widened my perspective.

Did you choose to attend SIPA to change careers, or to gain experience in a career path you already had experience in?

I came to SIPA with a government scholarship through the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), and as a study leave official at the Ministry of Finance. Thus, I am not seeking to change my career, instead I aim to deepen my theoretical knowledge in policy making, to gain more experience from the field expert, and to take advantage of the SIPA networks.

What experiences do you think prepared you to attend SIPA?

My long standing professional experience along with thousands of hours volunteering in various organizations has exposed me to many people in different environments. Like a wave, I had experienced how to be on top and also to be at rock bottom. Due to some reasons, I had to wait eight years until I could pursue a master's degree. The delay has earned me my second bachelor degree in Accounting which became a benefit for my Quantitative Resume in SIPA application.

Did you have a lot of quantitative experience when you applied to SIPA? Why or why not? How did you perform in those classes?

Earning three degrees prior, two bachelor degrees in Accounting and a diploma in State Treasury, has benefited me to have more quantitative experience and adjust better in classes. However in SIPA, the professors have made the learning experience uniquely differ from my prior colleges. Prof. Andrea Bubula remembers all of his Macroeconomics students and genuinely wants his students to succeed in his class by offering office hours, teaching assistants to tutoring that has helped boost my academic performance. Prof. Deborah McClean has successfully made me fall in love with Corporate Finance through her passionate ways of teaching and well-crafted syllabus. Not to mention, the five-hours Corporate Finance final exam was another level and I am proud to recommend it as a must-have experience at SIPA, haha…

What’s something interesting or unexpected that you shared on your application?

I took the liberty of using the optional essay to tell the story that does not fit the prompt of the personal statement and second essay. In the optional essay, I tried to get personal with the admissions committee by sharing my various achievements throughout elementary school to high school, from winning excellent student titles, winning English speech contests, winning the informatics olympiad, to winning medals in Pencak Silat competitions. I also used three different writing styles for each essay: formal, story telling, and poetry style. I wanted to showcase my full potential to the SIPA admissions committee. After I got accepted by SIPA. I received a lot of requests to review application essays. I found that many applicants focus their stories mostly on the professional side and forget to share the other side of their life. As a social creature, we have different interests and uniqueness. Showing your unique life experiences will help you stand out in front of the admission committees who must be overwhelmed by thousands of applications.