Istanbul: A City, and an Experience, of Differences Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The grading system and workload was very similar to my home university so that was not a problem. The biggest difference from the American educational system was that, in Turkey, there is a lot more emphasis places on one or two exams throughout the semester testing your ability to memorize facts rather than essays that are usually prevalent in American international studies courses.

On-site administration of your program

The CIEE office and leaders of the program are extremely helpful. The program size of 50 is perfect, giving you enough variety of people to really find some good friends amongst the group. Kathryn, the leader of the program has lived in Istanbul for 15 years and is extremely knowledgeable and Koray and Defney the others working in the office are both Turkish and have lived here their whole lives, enabling you to get a local's opinion if you wish it.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

They provide you with a pillow and blanket, but you need to bring/find sheets once you get here. Just like roommates in the States, some people have more luck than others considering how they get along with the other person. The dorms are very nice and include free laundry. Bring an ethernet cord because in some of the dorms the wifi doesn't always work very well. Living at Koc has its advantages and disadvantages. Most other exchanges students live on campus (with a few living in homestays throughout the city - mostly yearlong students) which lends itself to a support network and community. However, Koc is very much isolated from any and everything. Located, literally, up on a mountain, the nearest city is a 20 minute bus ride away and it takes around 1.5-2 hours, depending on traffic, to get into the heart of the city. It's very easy to feel like you're in a "Koc bubble" during the week when commuting so far is not practical.

Turkish food, in general, is not very good. They love putting yogurt on everything. Obviously, there are things you can find that you will enjoy and the school dining options do offer salads and pastas. During the week, its pretty impossible to eat anywhere but on campus due to the location of the school. You can also, in order to save money, purchase sandwich fixings from the on campus grocery store and/or make dinners in the dorm kitchens.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

CIEE takes us on two weekend trips to different parts of the country which were both fantastic.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any safety issues while in Turkey. I did not need any healthcare assistance and no special vaccinations were required for my program.

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

Koc University is an English-speaking university so all of the classes are taught in it. CIEE requires you to talk a Beginning Turkish class but it moves rather slowly and you do not learn much more than the very basics. However, whenever going anywhere off campus, English is not spoken very highly save for extremely tourist areas (like the Grand Bazaar), giving students the opportunity to practice using the limited Turkish we do learn.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students

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• Local Students