GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Student Report
Name of the University: Koç University
Exchange semester: Fall 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university, and did you
encounter any difficulties?
The school made first contact fairly late, well into late May. I received information mainly
through email from the exchange university and through a student guide. The student guide
was very helpful, however the information I received on email wasn’t always straightforward,
but the contact person was very accommodating when I inquired further.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have difficulties?
I applied for visa online and the website was very user friendly.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
I booked a flight from Oslo to Atatürk Airport in Istanbul. In the exchange group on Facebook
someone made a google doc where I could input my arrival date. After doing that another
exchange student took contact and we agreed to take the cab together to the university from
the airport.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from the
school?
Housing was provided by the university. Since I am a graduate student I was offered to live
off campus in apartments with other graduate students.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 3000
NOK
0
NOK 3000
NOK
300
NOK Unsure
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?’
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
All the professor I encountered spoke fluent English. All of the students are able to express
themselves in English.
-
How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
It is possible to go on trips. There were also language groups where you met around in the city
were the goal was to learn the language and culture.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
The school is located far from the city centre. About 40 minutes by cab and a little over an
hour by buss and then metro.
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
The course registration started around 10th of September and the process was chaotic. The
school had major problems with its new registration system. As well as information about
which courses would actually be available was limited and very late. This is combined that it
is a first come first served system so you are not guaranteed a spot. To some degree this is in
line with the Turkish culture, where deadlines are often fluid and do not expect to be able to
make a solid plan that you can stick to. The positive side is that the faculty is often very
accommodating to find satisfying solutions when contacted.
- When did the add/drop period end?
14-21 September
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
Arrival
- Describe the introduction week
7. September
14. September
25. December
Throughout the
semester
Bayram
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GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
So the orientation week was quite detailed. We were divided into groups and each assigned a
Koc student as mentor to show us around and be our guide for the orientation week. There
were also evening activities such as pub crawls arranged that were not mentioned in the
official orientation schedule. All in all the orientation week was a lot of fun.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information?
Yes, you often drowned in useless information through the email system here, but you
also got all the information you needed and more.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
I tried to represent myself in a good way and have fun, and answer questions people had about
Norway.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange students?
From my experience and talking to other exchange students the native students are in general
very open. The mentor system they have here is a great way to get in touch with native
students. The relation between exchange students is great. People on exchange tend to be
open to meeting new people and exploring new things which makes it easy to socialize and
meet new people.
-
Are there any special activities, student organisations, and gatherings for exchange
students?
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Koc University arranges many school activities that you can do as an exchange student and be
a part of as well as arranging occasional gathering for exchange students and trips to other
places in Turkey.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures, formal/informal etc.)
Teaching style is very practical. Most of the courses expect the student to at least have one
presentation throughout the semester and be active in class discussion. Lectures are also
mandatory.
-
How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
The workload is dependent on which courses you take, but in general, the workload is well
below the graduate level of BI.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, PowerPoint, level
of course material etc).
This is very up to the professors. Some are more book heavy, other rely more on the slides.
Some had really impressive PowerPoints where another professor used comic sans as font in
her PowerPoint.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
- How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
o Final exam (include form: written, oral, home assignment, presentation, etc.)
o Mid-term exam
o In-class quizzes throughout semester
o Small assignments and/or papers
o Presentations
o Group work
o Class attendance
o Class participation/debates
o Activities outside of the classroom
o Other – if other, describe.
For graduate students the classes last half a semester. All my classes had a midterm. Some
had final exam while others had final projects. All of my classes also required me to present at
least once, but the importance varied from class to class. All classes have mandatory
attendance.
Library and technology
- Describe the facilities
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Koc University was founded by the Koc family, one of the richest families in Turkey, so the
facilities were really good.
Description of courses
Please list below all the courses you took while on exchange. Your comments are useful for
BI and for future exchange students, include information on the qacadmic level, challenges,
relevance to your studies, if the course was practical/theoretical, any enrolment issues, etc.
Course code & name
Master/
Bachelor
Master
Exam form
Prerequisites
30 % 3-hour
Midterm
40 % 3-hour
Final
20 % 10 min
presentation
10 %Stock
game
None
Approved
as
Elective
ECMAC 550
Microeconomics of
competitiveness
Master
50 %
assignments and
class
participation.
50 % project
report +
presentation
None
Elective
SCTR 550 Big Data
for Business and
Public Sector
Master
Midterm 30 %
Assignments 20
%
Project 40 %
Presentation of
project 10 %
Sufficient
statistical
courses.
Elective
MGMT 550 Portfolio
Management
Comments
The
professor
had a long
experience
as a
portfolio
manager
and it
showed in
the lecture.
I very
much
enjoyed the
class.
This is a
Harvard
course that
relies
heavily on
assignment
and
discussing
of those
assignment
in classes.
Unfortunat
ely, the
discussions
was very
light and
not very
educational
.
The course
started with
light course
work, but
got
increasingl
y
demanding.
It is the
course I
enjoyed the
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MGMT 550 Sales
Management
Master
Participation 10
%
Midterm 40 %
Final 50 %
None
Elective
most as I
found it
very
educational
to address
Big Data
problems.
This course
was
disappointi
ng. I felt
the teacher
was poorly
prepared
for the
classes and
the lecture
slides
reflected
that.
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
- E.g. the experience from an academic, cultural and social point of
view, influences to your future career possibilities etc.
Istanbul is a wonderful city to experience. The city and people are very European in their
cultural ways. Going out clubbing for me had a very similar feel to when I have been clubbing
in other major European cities. On the other side Istanbul provides more eastern culture for
example in their food customs, and their more specific culture in how they organize
themselves. The academic level is very much dependant on the specific courses. I had some
that really challenged me and gave me a unique experience while others (sales management) I
would have been better off without.