GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE EXPERIENCE REPORT
E-mail: lunenborgmf@gmail.com
Study Program: Organization Sciences (MA)
Exchange semester: Spring 2014
Academic year:
2013-2014
Host University: Bilkent University
Country: Turkey
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please, describe:
 The school and its surroundings:
 please describe the city you lived in;
Ankara is the capital of Turkey. This however is only noticeable by the number of
people that live in Ankara. Ankara itself, in contrast to Istanbul, doesn’t have that
much (touristic) attractions to offer. This implies that tourists do not go to Ankara,
which results in a non-english speaking society. This is definitely not a negative point.
Whereas in Istanbul you will always be treated as a tourist, in Ankara you will be seen
as a part of the society. This, in my opinion, is more valuable for your experience
abroad. Furthermore, Ankara is located in the center of Turkey and has excellent and
cheap opportunities to visit the whole country (which is very very beautiful) by bus.
For example, a retour ticket by bus to Istanbul costs you only 15 euro. In Ankara you
will find a mix of the traditional Turkish culture with a mix of the new generation which
is more open. Everybody lives by going out for a Turkish tea (cay) or coffee(Turce
kahve) and at night time for a beer.
 where is the university located in the city?
Bilkent University is located 20 minutes by bus from the city center. Bilkent itself has
an excellent bus service which runs every hour. You will have the choice to live on
campus (which I do not recommend although it’s free) or in the city center. The
neighborhood of Tunus is the area where all students live, which gives you excellent
opportunities to go out at night and meet people. In addition, the Bilkent bus service
leaves from the Tunus bus station which makes you able to reach the University
within 30 minutes from your apartment (and it’s free)
 please describe the campus of your host university
In terms of size the campus of Bilkent University is quite a lot bigger than Tilburg
University. This is mainly because the dorms are situated at the main campus. The
buildings are quite impressive and the campus has two large grass fields on the
Bilkent hill on which monthly some festivals take place. These fields are very nice to
spend your free time. There are several restaurants on campus which offer different
types of food (Turkish specialities, Italian food, junk food etc.).
 what is the best place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.?
In the areas of Tunus and Kizilay there are a lot of little cosy bars and restaurants
where you can find the Turkish cuisine. In these areas you see mainly young people.
These are also the areas where students go out a lot. Just a couple of names of bars
are: underroof, bench, kite (if you are a techno fan). With your acceptation for Bilkent
you are free to use all the sport facilities the university offers. This implies, the
swimming poul, all the sport courts, the gym etc., which are all in a very good state.
 what are interesting things to see and do in your host city?
As I already mentioned, Ankara is not the city with beautiful touristic attractions
(although the Mausoleum of Ataturk is quite impressive). It is mainly the Turkish life
on the streets which makes Ankara special. During the day you will see that people
drink tea on the streets basically everywhere. The bars you will visit will host you in
the friendliest way you can imagine. I enjoyed my period in Ankara mainly because of
this, I was never a tourist, but a part of the Turkish society.
 what was different than in Tilburg?
Basically everything is different than Tilburg. You will see that life happens on the
street where during the day everybody meets each other. At Bilkent University you
will see that the student life looks a lot like the Dutch student life, however, Bilkent is



the most expensive private university of Turkey. This implies showing of with
expensive cars and dressing up like celebrities.
Current faculty divisions and special areas
Engineering department (which is the speciality of Bilkent)
Management (one of the biggest departments which hires a lot of well trained professors
from Harvard for example.
Plus a lot more: http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/bilkent/academic/fac_dep.html
Number of students: graduate and undergraduate; number of exchange students
I believe there where 15000 students in Bilkent, but I’m not sure
Study structure
The level of the courses that are given is not that high. If you are able to get sufficient
grades at TiU, you will without any doubt pass your courses at Bilkent. A note that needs
to be mentioned is that you get a grade for you participation in the courses and the
professors are very good in giving assignments which are not that challenging but
consume a big amount of time. (don’t worry about your spare time, you will have enough)
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the pre-arrival information from the host university?
2/3 weeks in advance
 Any difficulties?
The international office of Bilkent has been very helpful and clear in their demands,
however it is not that structured. So sometimes you have to e-mail about procedures
again and again. Besides this, don’t bother to specifically choose your courses in while
you are still in The Netherlands, because you will visit your department supervisor which
will guide you through this process once you started the introduction week. So choose
some random courses from the department that you would like to be in, don’t spend too
much time on this, because it will all change when you are there.
Visa procedure and arrival
 How long did it take you to arrange your (student) visa (if relevant)?
1 week (you have to visit the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam two times. 1 time to register
and a week later to pick up your visa). It costs you 60 euro. In addition to this you will
need to register with the police for a residence permit once you arrived in Turkey, this
costs you around 100 euro. ESN Bilkent will help you with this (nothing to worry about).
 How much did you pay for the visa (if relevant)? In total 160 euro
 How was your arrival organized? There are two arrival days. I recommend to arrive at one
of those days.
 Did someone pick you up from the airport/station?
ESN Bilkent is there to pick you up and transport you to university where you will be
shown to your dorms right away. These days are just before the orientation week starts.
 How was the reception at the school?
The reception was the start of the orientation week which gives you the opportunity to
meet your fellow exchange students. It was nothing special (alcohol is not allowed at
Bilkent University), but it was nice to meet your colleagues and the ESN students.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Everything was perfectly arranges and went very smoothly. They recognized the fact that
in Turkey not everything is well structured, so they are more than willing to help you with
everything. This made my start in Ankara very easy.
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
Nothing
Orientation/Introduction activities
 Was an orientation or introduction activity organized?
There was an orientation week which included a Turkish start up language course which
was very interesting. There were some information sessions on culture and living in
Turkey. Of course we visited the main areas of Ankara and ESN organized some nice
parties during the nights. It is not comparable to the TOP week, but still nice.
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?

The ESN students of Bilkent did.
Did you have a student mentor/buddy?
No. But the whole ESN crew was 24/7 available for questions or emergencies.
Housing
 How was accommodation organized?
The dorms at the campus are free for all exchange students. You share a room with one
other roommate of your own sex and share a large kitchen and living with 14 others. It is
located on campus so within a couple of minutes you can be in class. A negative point is
that it is located outside the city center and the bus service only works until midnight.
If you are looking for a more lively experience I advise you to look for an apartment in the
area of Tunus. You can easily find an apartment with 2 or three other exchange students
for a good price (I shared an apartment with two French guys, and it cost me 220 euro a
month). Don’t bother searching while you are still in The Netherlands. During the
orientation week ESN Bilkent will get you in touch with real estate agents who can
arrange an apartment in a day.
 Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a
place to live after you arrived? See upper answer
 What kind of housing does the university provide? Dorms
 What support did you receive from the school in locating housing? See the first answer
 Were you satisfied with your accommodation? Very much, the condition and location of
my apartment was very good.
 Any special issues or good ideas/useful websites for prospective students?
Work it out when you are in Turkey, it is very easy.
Living Costs
 How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from
Tilburg University?
I put the rent from DUO at maximum during my stay, which was more than sufficient.
 What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? Everything except
alcohol is at a 75% level of the Dutch standards, so a little cheaper.
 What did you spend most of your money on? Eating and drinking out and travelling
 What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Exactly the same! Try
to see as much as you can, it is truly a beautiful country
 Please outline your approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange:
 Housing: 220
 Food: 200
 Transport: nearly nothing (cabs are very cheap)
 Books: 20
 Miscellaneous: 300
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date & introductory week: last week of January
 First day of the semester? First week of February
 Last day of classes? Half may
 Mid-term break? Not there
 Examination period? Last two weeks of may
 Any special events? Trips and festivals organized by Bilkent and ESN throughout the
whole semester
The International Office
 Is there an international office? yes
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students? The international office and ESN
 How does the international office function? Perfect, they are devoted to showing you a
nice and easy time
 Are you satisfied with the information provided to you by the international office?
Definitely
Exchange promotion

What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Tilburg University at
your exchange university? There was a promotion market while I had an exam so I did
not attend this market.
Social Activities
 Which social activities are organized by the university/students for exchange students?
ESN organizes parties and trips. The most famous are the Fethiye and Kapadokya trip.
These trips include seeing around and partying.
 Is there a student organization for international student? Yes ESN
 Did you have contact with local students? Yes a lot, Turkish people are very interested in
meeting foreign people. In class you will see that within a week you have a couple of
Turkish friends.
 Did you have contact with other exchange students? A lot
 Did you travel to other places/countries during your exchange? Istanbul, Fethiye,
Kapadokya, Safranbolu, Amasya, Bodrum, Cesme, Alacati, Canakkale, Pamukkale,
Bergama.
Culture and Language
 Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? It is definitely a different world, but
the Turkish hospitality made me feel at home really fast.
 How would you compare your host culture to your own culture?
People are so much closer with each other and warmer. Hospitality actually means
something in Turkey. Furthermore, Turkish students are very open to contact and
learning about your culture.
 What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange?
That the important thing about life is not about structure, money or study, but about
learning about different ways of dealing with other people and sharing this experience.
 What was different about your host culture than you expected?
I expected a strict Islamic society, however, Ankara is a very open city and people that
are Islamic love to talk very openly about this.
 How would you describe your host country’s culture?
Hospitable, respectful, warm, close
 What did you like and not like about your host culture?
Actually there was nothing I disliked.
 Do you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to
learn more?
Yes because Ankara makes you participate in the Turkish society (at least when you are
living in the city center)
 If you travelled to other cities/countries during your exchange, were they different than
your host city/country, and how? Yes but with the same experiences as Ankara
 Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students? No
 Did you follow language courses during your exchange? Yes
 Did you follow the Erasmus Intensive Language Course? No
Personal Development
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
Definitely. Learning about a completely different culture makes you able to understand
different ways of approaching life. Besides that, opening yourself up during your
exchange made also more open when I came back.
 How do you think the exchange experience will influence your future career possibilities?
I cannot say that it will guide me to a better job. However during an application for a job I
will be able to define myself better because I got to learn myself better during this period.
 What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange?
repeat
 Would you do things differently if you had the chance and what would you do differently?
No
 What was your best experience, and what was your worst experience?
Being a part of the Turkish society was the best. The worst was the weekends that you
spend on your studies in Ankara.


What will you never forget about your exchange period?
My two French roommates, Turkish hospitality, the beauty of the country and the
Erasmus life
What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange
period?
There is a way to have a fun time with everybody, no matter where you come from
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
 In what language(s) are the courses offered at a partner university? English
 Did you follow any courses taught in the language of the host country? Yes
 Which courses did you take and why? Marketing courses and Turkish, a combination of
local languages plus a nice marketing edge as addition to my curriculum
 Which courses would you recommend? Marketing Management and Turkish
 How would compare the academic level at your host university to the academic level at
Tilburg University (e.g.: level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English,
workload, etc.)? definitely a little easier, but with more interaction in the lectures.
 Is the teaching style primarily practical or theoretical? 50/50
 What teaching method is practiced by the host university: case studies, group work,
seminars or lectures (or a mix)? A mix
 How would you describe the relationship between the students and the teaching staff? It
is very close since classes only exist of 15 students, so there is a lot of interaction
possible
 In general, were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? For
half of the courses yes.
Exams
 What types of exams did you have to sit? Normal open question ones (sometimes with a
case)
Other
 Can students easily access the library and its resources? yes
 Were there public computers available on campus/in university buildings? yes
Description of Courses
Please list all courses you have taken at the partner university in the form below:
 Course title and code
 Course level (BA/MA)
 Prerequisites, if any
 Form of exam
 ECTS credits you have obtained in total:
 Comments: Relevance, Difficult/easy, Practical/theoretical, Enrolment problems
Example
Cursus
Turk 111,
Basic Turkish I
Vak beschrijving
MAN 509,
International
business
This course will provide an understanding of
international business as an essential part of
Globalization. The international business
environment will be evaluated in economic, cultural,
political, and legal aspects to explore how
international businesses are initiated and conducted.
Economic Integration among nations will be
discussed with emphasis on Europe. Methods of entry
into foreign markets via licensing, franchising, joint
The aim is to help the students comprehend spoken
and written Turkish, express their ideas in written and
oral form, and to acquaint them with an
understanding of Turkish life and culture.
ECTS Status
6
Vrij
keuzevak
6
Vrij
keuzevak
MBA 532,
Marketing
Management
MBA 558,
Marketing
Communication
ventures, coventures, and foreign direct investment
will be reviewed providing actual real life examples.
Survey of the marketing concept, consumer behavior,
segmentation, marketing research, competitive
analysis, and marketing decisions involving products,
price, distribution and promotion are discussed in this
course. Analytical, strategic and decision making
aspects are emphasized. Cases are used for
application of the principles discussed.
The course will provide students the knowledge and
insight to use the marketing communication tools
more effectively. The course covers the key strategic
and tactical aspects of a large set of communication
campaigns that ran across various platforms (e.g.,
TV, print media, Internet). The course is designed for
MBA students who want to i) develop an
understanding of the different types of
communication tools, ii) analyze the key drivers for
successful marketing communications programs, iii)
design an effective marketing communication
campaign, iv) apply specific tools and approaches to
evaluate the effectiveness of communication
campaigns from the business, regulatory, social ~~
ethical points of view. In addition, the course also
aims to improve team working skills, promote critical
and analytical thinking, and enhance decision-making
and problem-solving skills.
6
Vrij
keuzevak
6
Vrij
keuzevak
Please fill in all the courses you have taken
Tips for the future students:
 Would you recommend an exchange period? Definitely! You will be in a completely
different world in which you can discover everything easy and cheap.
 Would you recommend your host university? Yes
 What should prospective students absolutely not forget before going on exchange?
Nothing special
 How can they better prepare before going on exchange to this destination? Just stay in
touch with the international office of Bilkent and try to reach someone that is active at
ESN Bilkent, they are willing to help you before you start your period.
 Was there anything you should have arranged before departure that you haven’t? No
A picture is worth a thousand words
If you took any pictures or made any videos that you would like to share with future exchange
students, please include them (or e-mail them separately). Pictures that show your daily life or
symbolize your exchange period are especially interesting for future exchange students.
Blog
If you kept a (photo) blog during your exchange that you would like to share (e.g.:
www.waarbenjijnu.nl, www.blipfoto.com) with future exchange students, please let us know
the URL.
Contact details:
Can the International Relations Office share your e-mail address with prospective exchange
students, so that other students can contact you for more information? If yes, make sure to
write down you e-mail address on the first page of this report.
No problem