GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE EXPERIENCE REPORT
Please write this report in English
The student report will be published on the:

Study Abroad website (under “Experiences” from partner universities)

TSH study abroad blackboard page
I am fine with my report being published online: YES
ANR: 825250
Name: Ricardo van Mildert
E-mail: R.vanmildert@gmail.com
Exchange semester: Fall, 2015
Academic year: 4 th year Bachelor
Host University: Bogazici University
Country: Turkey
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
I went on exchange to Istanbul, Turkey and studied a semester at Bogazici University. The university is located next to the Bosporus and has an amazing view. The campus is extremely beautiful. Campus facilities include 2 cafeterias where you can eat for 1,50 euro (!) every day of the week (breakfast, lucnch and diner), 2 gyms (one is free and old the other one new and costs some money), 2 swimmingpools (indoor and outdoor), a really good library and an outdoor running track. The campus is filled with cats, so if you are a cat fan this is something to look forward to.
The city itself is amazing. You can find an eramus party everyday, you can experience something new everyday, you can visit beatufiful historical buildings everyday, and so on. In short, the city never sleeps and there is always something to do.
Several 100 exchange students arrive at Bogazici every semester. Everything is arranged very well! The courses are generally well structured and the professors are quite good.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before I left, I received an email from Bogazici University with all the necessary steps required to complete my registration. Everything was organized and structured very well.
The visa procedure in Turkey is very complicated. You have to get a tourist visa, which costs
25 euros upon arrival and then you have 90 days to apply for the resident permit, which costs around 20 euros. Fortunately, the international office from Bogazici really helps you in the process. They will also prepare your travel card and Bogazici student card, which they will hand to you during the orientation day. During this day, they will present you with the basic information. After this, there was a cocktail party where you get the chance to meet all the exchange students and socialize.
You have the chance to rent one of the student dorms, but they are relatively expensive. For this reason I picked my own house, via the Facebook Erasmus Istanbul page. Rooms are really easy to find and it took me around one week to find my flat and I have been really satisfied with the flat and my roommates.
The Living Costs in Istanbul are relatively low compard to the Netherlands. However, alcohol is quite expensive. I took a loan of 500 euros month from the Dutch government, which was more than enough. It is possible to live with way less money. I spent quite some money on extra trevels and partying. Especially if you eat on campus where the meals are really cheap, you do not need so much money for your living expenses. I spent around 260 euros a month for my rent (all inclusive), which was not too expensive, but I know that some people spent less. I would spend around 180 euros a month on food, 150 euros on partying and other activiets.
Travelling is quite cheap and will cost you around 25 euros a month. At Bogazici use a lot of readers, instead of books, which you can purchase for around 5 euro a book.
I arrived early, on the 20 th of August to enjoy the city before the semester started. The semester started on the 28 th of September and ended on the 25 th of December, with one week off in between. My exams started on the 28 th of December and ended on the 12 th of January.

I tried to mix with the local students as much as possible. Many people joined the Erasmus
Student Network, but I did not. However, I did attend many of the parties organized by them. I hang out with both Turkish and Exchange students. I travelled to Cappadoccia, which was truly amazing, and two times to Germany (to see my girlfriend), during my stay in Istanbul.
One of the most difficult tihings in Istanbul, is the low level of English that is spoken by the normal public. This is defenitly something to keep in mind, although it did not bother mee that much. It is defeintly a pre to speak Turkish, but I heard that it is really hard to learn Turkish.
Turkish people are really friendly, although this does not seem to be that way at first. They hardly smile or say hi, but when you need some help they are always ready to help you.
Although the Turkish culture is really different from the Dutch one, I did not experience a really big culture shock. Besides this, the Turkish students at Bogazici speak English fluently and are really friendly.
My exchange semester was really intense. I expereicned so much (good and bad) and I really feel I grew as a person. I met some amazing people and made some friends for life. I also met my current girlfriend in Istanbul (although she moved to Germany shortly after we met). I feel I became more confident in my own abilities and learned to deal with problems better. I will never forget the people I met in Istanbul and I will never forget the amazing and beautiful city itself.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
At Bogazici University all courses are offered in English. I took 4 courses: History of Philosopy
III, Philosophy of Religion, Introduction to Sociology II and Introduction to Visual Arts and
Culture. All courses were of relatively high quality and I enjoyed all of them. However, the academic level is lower than in Tilburg. All courses were taught on a lecture base. The teachers are really friendly and open. Although, I enjoyed my courses, I would have liked to be more academically challenged. Most courses had 1 or 2 essays and 1 or 2 exams with open questions. The library is really great. However, there are only a few computers compared to
Tilburg.
Course Name Prerequisites Exam Major at TiU Approved as
(minor/ elective / extra)
History of
Philosophy III
Philosophy
Religion of
Introduction
Sociology III
Introduction to to
Visual Arts and
Culture none
None
None
None
Written and 2 papers
Written and 2 papers
LAS Humanities
LAS Humanities
Elective
Elective
Multiple Choise LAS
Sciences
3 papers and a
Written Exam
Social Elective
LAS Humanities Elective
I would definetly recommend Bogazici as an exchange destination!
Contact details:
Can the International Relations Office share your e-mail address with prospective exchange students, so that other students could contact you for more information? YES