EXPERIENCE REPORT
E-mail: j.ramratan@tilburguniversity.edu
Study Program: Psychology
Exchange semester: Spring 2014
Academic year: 2013/2014
Host University: Bilkent University
Country: Turkey
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Bilkent University has a private campus and consists out of the main and east
campus. Main campus, dorm 76, room 445, that’s where my friend and I arrived
the 25th of January in the evening. Our view was Bilka, a meeting place where
students can grab a bite to eat and drink something together, and hills of grass
(the so called Teletubbie hills) where you could hang out and enjoy the amazing
view of Ankara:
Outside the campus, the city (Kizilay) can be described as New York meets India.
There was so much traffic! And even in these crowded and chaotic streets you
could see people running to stopped cars in front of the traffic lights to offer
them tea, which is so Indian! This sight amazed me, in the capital city of Turkey,
I’ve discovered New York and India as well. However, there’s no nightlife as you
would expect in New York, shops aren’t open 24/7 and there aren’t a lot of
people on the streets in the night except for Thursday, Friday and Saturday
nights.
The best place to go to eat is Big Chef’s located in the Bilkent centre, the
food there is amazing! If you want to eat in the city (Kizilay), 49 is the place
where you will get served the best pide’s! That’s why I don’t call it 49, but Pide
Palace. Kocatepe, Hacibaba, Simitci dunyasi are other restaurants which serve
delicious food for a little price. These are as well located in Kizilay.
Bench and Under roof are the places to go when u want to have fun, I have an
emotional attachment with these places, because Bench is the usual spot to hang
out and to gather. The welcome party was as well held in Bench and in Under
roof we danced all night long, memorable moments!
Interesting things to see and do in Ankara is to visit Anit kabir (mausoleum of
Atatürk), Luna park (entertainment park) and to visit places within Ankara such
as Ulus and Hammamönü.
LUNA PARK
HAMMAMÖNÜ
Bilkent differed with Tilburg in education style.
Classes are much smaller, so it’s more informal and you get to know other
students and the professor well which I liked a lot. I didn’t want to miss classes
as they were fun to go! It felt like I was in high school. As well the course load
was different, I’m a psychology student and in Tilburg the exam is the most
important test to pass, sometimes there are assignments but not for every
course. In Bilkent you have assignments and tasks for every course! And there
was even compulsory presence in class which isn’t for all the courses and classes
in Tilburg, so I had to do much more in Bilkent than in Tilburg, but even then I
really enjoyed it so it wasn’t that hard to meet those criteria.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Three weeks before leaving to Turkey I received the pre-arrival
information from Bilkent University. I encountered some problems with
arranging housing because of my credit card, but in the end I luckily succeeded.
When you want to study in Turkey, you’ll need a visa. It costs around 60 euros
and it took about 1 week to get mine.
Improvements can be made in terms of the organization of arriving
students at Bilkent University. When I arrived it wasn’t clear where to wait and
who would be picking up other students and me. So I went to discover it by
myself on the airport which was difficult as no one spoke English, even the
working personnel! Then I met a man who spoke English and I asked him how to
get to Bilkent University and he told me to get on the bus. This bus turned out to
be a normal bus in which you have to pay and didn’t go to Bilkent University!
Then they dropped me off middle in the city (Kizilay) with my huge suitcases. In
this chaoticness I tried to contact people, but they didn’t speak English or
weren’t willing to help, so I experienced the culture shock in my first day arriving
in Turkey being totally lost in the middle of the city with no one who could help.
In the end, I just took the same bus back to the airport and called the exchange
manager with the airport phone as my phone didn’t work. He then told me to
wait at a specific place, and that’s where I met my first friend, Narjisse. I was so
happy to meet her and then the other exchange students and Bilkent students
who guided us, so it luckily ended all well.
So we arrived Saturday night and on Monday there would be a welcome
reception. On this reception we got to meet the other exchange students and
some professors. The thing which I will always remember is the food they had on
the reception as we were starved and ate the whole
plate with little snacks! When we arrived, it felt like
the whole campus was deserted as the semester didn’t
start yet. So Bilka and restaurants on the campus were
closed, and we couldn’t eat well.
The administration and faculty were well prepared
for my arrival and didn’t encounter problems with it.
The working personnel in Bilkent were more than happy
to help and guide you.
So on Monday the orientation week started and
we were guided well by the ESN Bilkent university
students. We could always contact them whenever
needed. The orientation week was awesome, we’ve been taught some Turkish,
workshops in which we learned about the Turkish way of living and got to see
around in Ankara with all students. After getting lost on day 1 in Ankara, this
orientation week was an amazing start of an awesome semester in Bilkent!
Accommodation was organized online before my departure. When I received my
log in information from Bilkent University, I could arrange my accommodation. I
had to apply online and in this manner you’ll be assigned to a dorm. You have
different options of housing: (1) dorm on campus –free and paid dorms- (2)
apartment on campus –paid-, and (3) apartment in the city –paid-. I actually
don’t know how to arrange housing options 2 and 3 as I stayed in the dorms.
However, the ESN Bilkent students can provide you information about this.
Actually I applied for a deluxe room, which is a paid room with a private
bathroom and a neighbor-shared-kitchen, however I didn’t get that room
because that dorm was full and got assigned to a normal dorm in which you have
a shared kitchen, bathrooms and toilets, these are by the way free of costs. At
first, I wasn’t happy with this as I wanted the deluxe room, but in the end I loved
that room and am happy to save 800 euros! From that money I got to travel
around Turkey!
Some advice for prospects students:
- If you’re going with a friend and want to stay together in the same
dorm/room, e-mail the dorm manager and make it clear that you want to
share a room. Otherwise there are chances you’ll be assigned in another
dorm and/or room with a stranger
- If you want a paid room, apply on time, because when the dorm is full you
won’t be assigned in that dorm and as you have to pay for it in advance,
getting the money back is really difficult and stressful
- Be aware of the fact that when you arrive in the dorms, it’s possible you
won’t be having wifi which happened to me. The next day an ESN student
provided me with my own router as I got a bad connection and couldn’t
connect to the internet. This situation can be very stressful as you want to
let your loved ones know that you arrived safely and this isn’t possible
I covered my living costs by the monthly Erasmus grant and a loan from DUO. As
I applied for the last minute Exchange I didn’t receive a grant from Tilburg
University. My living expenses abroad were less compared to Tilburg, however
because of travelling these costs were more. I travelled a lot and so my money
was spend most on that which I’m happy about. That’s why I want to advice
prospects students to not waste their money on paid dorm rooms, but on
travelling and food! My monthly living costs consisted out of:
- Housing – 0 euro
Places I visited:
- Food – 150/200 euro
- Transport – 0 euro (Except for travelling)
- Books – 8 euro (I illegally copied books,
yeah it’s possible there)
My academic calendar:
 Arrival date & introductory week
25th of January
27th – 31st of January
 First day of the semester?
3rd of February
 Last day of classes?
End of april
 Mid-term break?
None
 Examination period?
May
 Any special events?
Mayfest
On campus is an international office which consists out of a board who
can help concerning your exchange. I’m satisfied with the information and
help provided by them except for the arrival information, that’s the reason I
got lost.
In terms of exchange promotion I will be a mentor during the spring
semester and I motivate other students and friends to go on exchange as I’ve
had an amazing experience with mine and want to share this with others.
For exchange students there were parties organized by ESN Ankara.
Furthermore there were social activities like a movie night and Mayfest, but
those activities were organized for the local students as well. ESN Bilkent
kept us informed about activities and parties through facebook.
I’ve become good friends with the exchange group and 1 local student as I
didn’t had much contact with the locals. And almost every weekend we
planned a trip with exchange students to discover Turkey, so we travelled a
lot during our stay. The cities we’ve visited were so different from each other
and some so different from the Netherlands. For example Ankara and
Istanbul are more modern than Konya, which is kind of a holy city. People in
Konya were as a result of this more conservative and different than people
living in Ankara or Istanbul.
As mentioned earlier, I experienced a culture shock on my very 1st day
when I got lost in the middle of Kizilay without knowing a word Turkish or
the city. I experienced the Turkish culture as more open, warm and fun
compared to the Dutch culture. When I observed locals and their way of living
it felt like I’m in a movie and really loved that way of living. The Dutch culture
is individualistic whereas the Turkish culture is a collectivistic one. And that’s
what I’ve learned about the Dutch culture, it’s too individual we should care
much for and about others. The Turkish culture differed more than my
expectations in terms of knowledge of English. If you’re in Kizilay, Ulus or
Hamammönü, no one can speak English (well). Even on campus, some
students couldn’t speak that well English even though they study at a
university. That’s why I took Turkish as a course, I knew I had to learn the
language otherwise I wouldn’t be able to communicate. Furthermore Turkish
people eat a lot of meat. As a hindu, chicken and vegetarian food were low in
variety. What I didn’t like about the Turkish culture is their low variety in
food; there aren’t fixed prices, they first look at the person and then make a
price, in this way I learned how to bargain and a certain point I didn’t even
buy without bargaining; and their attitude about the Dutch culture, they think
that just because you’re Dutch, you are on drugs and drink alcohol, they just
assume that which I couldn’t appreciate. What I did like is the food in
restaurant where there is a lot of variety; their open, warm and movie-ish
culture; and their way of living.
I feel so much richer in experience of the world and want to learn more,
I’ve gotten more curious and hungry for knowledge of other countries and
cultures.
On a personal level this exchange made me
more courageous to explore more cultures
and to be open to other people. Normally
I’m not that open to new people, but now
when I meet new people I’ll show them the
person I am. Furthermore this exchange is a
real enrichment to my career and it motivated
me to do more within an international setting
whether it’s for an academical degree or an
internship.
Things I would do differently if I had
the chance:
- I wouldn’t apply for a paid dorm
- I would send more packages back home
as my luggage became a bit of a problem when I had to leave
- I would apply for more grants to cover my financial needs
- I would me more social and open from the beginning instead of in the end
The people that I met during my exchange taught me one of the most important
lessons in life, true friendship can exist even in a short period of time and
distance means nothing when it comes to true friendship. And even more
important: always keep giving care and love, that’s the best what you can give. It
doesn’t cost anything but is so precious. It might sound cliché, but this is what
I’ve seen, experienced and learned from those beautiful people who I’m
privileged to call them my friends.
My best experience was meeting those incredible people and go with them on
trips. My worst experience is to get lost on the 1st day and saying goodbye to my
friends. I won’t ever forget about the people, places and culture I experienced
during my stay in Bilkent. This exchange taught me as well that I’m more capable
in handling situations than I expected to be.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The courses I took were offered in English and I didn’t take any courses in
Turkish as I am not fluent in it.
I took the following courses:
- Cross-Cultural management – In the future I might work in another
country
- Program evaluation – As I’m a psychology student I might start my own
program and want it ofcourse to be successful
- Turkish – As the locals couldn’t speak English, so I had to learn their
language in order to be able to communicate with them
- Interpersonal relations – to learn more about relations between people,
after all I still am an psychology student
I would recommend taking the Turkish course if you don’t know Turkish already.
The Turkish people appreciate it a lot when u try to speak their language, they
are more willing to help you in return. When I compare the academic level at
Bilkent to Tilburg, in Bilkent the workload is much more, but the level is easier
and the classes are smaller, more informal and in this way more fun. The
teaching method is a mixed one, I got lectures and individual/group work. In
general I’m really happy with the academic achievements during my exchange
except for 1 course. The teacher was really annoying and overly strict especially
for exchange students.
The library and its resources are easily accessible and you can find public
computers in university buildings, but not in the dorms. I made the mistake to
not bring my laptop and to work on a public computer, I couldn’t do my work
properly and fast as the keyboard was a Turkish one! Luckily a visiting friend of
mine brought my precious laptop with a western keyboard and I could work
properly again.
Description of Courses
Course
PSYC 437-001
Program
Evaluation (BA)
Prerequisites Exam
ECTS
None
Written 6
MAN 467-001
Cross-Cultural
Management
(BA)
TURK 111-001
Basic Turkish I
(BA)
None
Written 6
None
Written 6
PSYC 438-001
Interpersonal
Relations (BA)
None
Written 6
Comments
- Mid-terms, group
assignment, classproject and final exam
- Theoretical & Practical
- Assignments, group
assignment, mid-term
and final exam
- Theoretical
- Presentations, midterm and final exam
- Theoretical&Practical
- Presentation, group
assignments, portfolio,
mid-term and final
exam
- Theoretical
Tips for the future students:
 Would you recommend an exchange period?
Yes, definitely!
 Would you recommend your host university?
Yes, I even want to go back if possible
 What should prospective students absolutely not forget before going on
exchange?
Save up money, be on time with applying for grants, be on time with
documents you have to sign or hand in for your exchange, very important!
 How can they better prepare before going on exchange to this destination?
If you don’t have any knowledge of Turkish, do take a Turkish language
course it will really help you
 Was there anything you should have arranged before departure that you
haven’t?
Learn Turkish, apply for grants and bring my laptop
SHEREFE (CHEERS IN TURKISH) TO
NEW EXPERIENCES!
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.
- I didn’t keep a blog
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.
- Yes of course, I would gladly help them