I never wanted to leave Past Review
By Funda S (Economics., The University of Texas at Austin) for
Bogazici University: Istanbul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I want to live in Istanbul for some period of time, coming back to the US was like coming off a sugar high, you have such a continuous rush of energy and excitement and then when it's all over you kind of have a depressed mood because now everything seems boring.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
One professor spoke perfect, clear English and explained everything very well. The other professor spoke very little English. The grading system is somewhat different, they give out letter grades as opposed to numeric grades. It seems to be that in some classes the professors provide leniency to the foreign students especially if there is a language barrier. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Since it was an affiliated program I did not have an administrator specifically appointed to me. There was a Summer School Adviser for foreign students that I could have gone to had I needed any help of some sorts. There were dorm administrators that also provided help to anyone who needed it. Basically, you were free to do whatever you wanted which was very nice, and faculty as well as general administrators were available to help whenever you needed it. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Safe location of the dorm, we had very friendly guards at the front desk who did their job very well - always asking for identification from people they did not recognize - dorm was all tile so every noise was amplified more, which resulted in occasional noise complaints, they placed all the foreign students in rooms right next to each other so I got to find friends extremely quick. There was a kitchen in my dorm, however there were no appliances other than the refrigerator. |
| * Food: |
you could find a variety of food around campus. There are a lot of Turkish Cuisine restaurants which you may tire of after a while but if you walk around a little more you can find restaurants that serve food from other cultures around. Food is also pretty cheap and good quality. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
All the trips and excursions that I went on were formed by my friends and myself. They were amazing. Do research about Turkey and make plans to go to those places. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
the safety and health level were the same as they are in the US. Anything that could happen in the US had the same possibility of happening in Turkey. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There are 2 summer dorm options that I was aware of, one of them is cheaper than the other. The study abroad students from both dorms ended up mixing together so there really was no different benefit from going with the more expensive dorm since we all hung out together. A lot of money was spent on shopping and entertainment. Istanbul is in general a lot more cheaper than the US but sometimes because it's cheaper you don't realize how much money you are spending. I ended up spending a lot more money in Istanbul than I normally do in the US. As long as you have self control though, it's easy to not spend a lot. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Explore Explore Explore! Step out of your comfort zone, do things you normally wouldn't do back home but still be safe. Be aware and skeptical because some people will try to rip you off. Treat Istanbul like you would treat New York: don't trust everyone but have fun! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Philosophy Logic 1 |
| Course Department: | Philosophy |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Challenging, in class room, teacher was excellent, study the material to become an expert at the subject. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Art and Architecture of the Ottoman Empire |
| Course Department: | PA 395.1 |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Turkish |
| Comments: | The professor spoke Turkish although if there was an English speaking student, she somehow provided a translator. This class toured Istanbul's biggest architectural sites once a week for 4-6 hours at a time. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
