Studying in the Capital of the World Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I took a regular courseload of five classes and found it comparatively less homework-intensive than my American classes. The education system was a little bit more old-school and followed more of a lecture format with a midterm and final as the majority of your overall grade. Depending on the class there tended to be long reading assignments with almost no actual projects or homework assignments, however I preferred this as it gave me much more time to explore Istanbul and experience the city and the culture.

On-site administration of your program

My expectations unfortunately were not well met. First of all, the registration system for classes is a mess and will take anywhere from two hours to a couple days to complete, requiring you to write multiple letters for permission to take a class. Also the staff and International Office were horribly slow at answering emails and questions and were prone to making mistakes on official paperwork international students needed in order to acquire a residence permit from the government.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The dorm was great and very well set up, and I was happy that all of my roommates were Turkish, so I had more opportunities to practice speaking. I did need to buy a pillow and sheets for my bed but other than that everything you needed necessity or food-wise was nearby and easily accessible, with a dorm cafeteria in the same building and campus only a five minute walk down the street. However leaving the neighborhood and going anywhere else in Istanbul you'd always encounter horrible traffic, but in general the location was great and the view of the Bosphorous was amazing.

Turkish food is amazing and unbelievably cheap. At the school cafeteria you would pay the equivalent of $1.25 for lunch and/or dinner and get fruit or salad or a dessert, soup, rice, and an entree usually of chicken, beef, or some other traditional Turkish food like kebabs. Also all of the nearby restaurants are high quality and very affordable, although I'd recommend Asitane, a traditional Ottoman restaurant, if you want to try something fancy.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Bogazici University has a very active international student group that arranges multiple trips to other famous cities throughout Turkey especially for international students, and these occur a couple times every semester. Other than that there are countless places within Istanbul to explore so far as historical or archeological sites, museums, clubs, cafes, malls, and more. You can never get bored in Istanbul.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Never encountered any problem in which I felt myself in danger. Also never got seriously sick, and the few times I got a cold or a headache, pharmacies are easy to find and also very very cheap.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

You have to be stubborn about speaking the language. It may be hard at first, but if you force yourself and others see you doing this, they'll speak to you in that language too. Although in Turkey many of the universities are officially taught in English, the greater majority of the Turkish students preferred to speak in Turkish, and would speak to you in Turkish if you made the effort as well. Just try to speak in every situation, you can't be shy or you'll never learn. However, once you stepped outside of the university, unless you were in the tourist areas you needed Turkish for any basic interactions.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Local Students

• Speaking Turkish
• Being able to live in and experience the city
• Meeting other international students

• Registration system
• Need for a residence permit
• Diversity of classes