Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload seemed to be much heavier and the grading was very confusing. There is this idea that a C or B is a good grade when in my mind i dont accept less than an A. I normally am an A student so when I recieved a C on a paper written in my major I was completely shocked. My teacher was confused about why I was upset, telling me that I did very well with a few minor errors. A few minor errors should be an A- paper, not a C+, according to me.

On-site administration of your program

Only one person speaks english in the office. No one has much information about anything, and they can't help you with things you need. Getting a transportation card was so difficult and we needed our student ID to do so. They took well over a month to give us our student ID. They also close for a few hours in the middle of the day for lunch. My expectations were not met, unfortunately.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in the Superdorm. It was way to expensive and not worth it. There isnt even a stove or microwave, and my room was roughly the size of a broom closet. My roommates were the most rude, immature, disgusting people I ever met. There was no way to change rooms because according to the manager there were no rooms. I complained about them smoking inside and nothing was done about it. I would not recommend the superdorm for anyone. The only advantage is that you have a ready made meeting point for friends.

I recomment Urfam, a kebap and pide place very close to the school and Borekcisi. The food in Turkey is amazing and I miss it already. You can get a huge meal for the equivalent of 6 USD. All kebaps, borek, manti, turkish breakfast, etc are very delicious!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There was nothing arranged by the program for us. However a group called the exchange commission did a wonderful job in helping the foreign students see more of istanbul and experience more culture. They took us to Cappadokia and many mosques and cultural places. There was a wonderful program called "a warm turkish home" in which they take you to a turkish family's home and they give you an amazing homemade meal. I had an excellent social and cultural experience

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt safe on campus and around Istanbul, but if i had a problem the doctor was a complicated experience. They do not have an english speaking doctor and the place was very difficult to find as well. Thank god the exchange commission has a system of Turkish buddies. Mine came with me and translated everything.

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

I practiced Turkish with some Turkish friends, american friends, and mostly in restaurants where it was rare to find an English speaker. I took a Turkish for foreigners class ao this helped a lot, even though i felt that the teachers really didnt care if we learned Turkish or not.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students