weitere Erfahrungsberichte für Tuerkei
Land:
Tuerkei
Universität:
Dokuz-Eylül Üniversitesi
Semester und Studiengang:
4. Semester Bachelor International Management
Aufenthalt:
summersemester 2017
Über die Universität:
The Dokuz-Eylül University is located in the third largest city in Turkey with a population of around 3.7 million, and Izmir has an atmosphere more of Mediterranean Europe than traditional Turkey. The University has about 60,000 students and consists of 15 faculties located all around the city. The business faculty can be found in the Tinaztepe campus, the biggest campus of the university where most of the faculties are. The campus is huge and one has to take the bus in the entrance to reach the desired building. The district of the main campus is not in a very popular area of the city, but it has all necessary facilities like supermarkets, gyms, parks and cloting areas around. The building of the faculty itself is in good condition but not very modern in terms of computers and other technological facilities. The campus itself has really good offers such as supermarkets, restaurants, several cafés, a cinema, a hairdresser and a gym. There is also a library and other rooms to study in the faculty and on the campus.
The teaching methods at the Dokuz-Eylül are very different from the German academic system. There are many assignments to do during the semester, which are all graded. Moreover, course participation is required strongly and is part of the final grade. Projects, tests, presentations, case-studies, reports, mid-term and final exam eventually make up the final grade in a course. But the academic level and preparation effort of a final exam can not be compared with an exam taken at the THD. Another important part is that there is no online plattform for lecture notes or powerpoint slides. It is required to attend the lectures and take notes self-responsibly. But nevertheless, there is much free time to enjoy the beautiful city of Izmir. It is directly located at the seaside and offers many possibilities to enjoy the sunny weather.
There is a students' club (ESN) which organizes events and trips on a regular basis. These are great ways to make friends and get to know local and other foreign students.
Betreuung vor Ort:
Before the mobility period I have received immediately an answer back if I had any concerns or questions from the International Office. The staff there is very helpful and speaks very good English and even German. The one thing one has to have in mind is that only few courses listed in the broad course catalogue are actually offered. But the academic coordinator at the Dokuz-Eylül is very helpful and provides support for the changes required in the "during the mobility"-part. But I needed to organize the courses so that they did not overlap in my schedule and that is not as easy as it sounds since I have taken lectures from different departments and different semesters.
The Erasmus Students' Network, a student club for foreign students, organized a few gatherings and trips around Turkey which were all very enjoyable and well-planned. The club members are also very helpful for any organizational issues. They helped me with finding a place to stay before I got to Turkey. I had a great flatshare with international students located in the same district as my faculty. As I have arrived in February, it was still cold at night and that was sometimes inconvient as many flats in Izmir do not have a central heating system.
Tipps:
All in all it was a great stay in Izmir and I would advice everyone to take part in such an experience. Izmir is a great city with many things to enjoy especially for young people. Another good thing are the low living costs, especially for rent. Even though Izmir is considered as the most western city in Turkey there are still many cultural differences compared to Germany. Most importantly one has to be aware of the political conditions in Turkey and I recommend to avoid addressing political topics in public. There are many security measures which are comparable to airport security standards. This might seem a little bit strange in the beginning but one is getting used to that very fast. Another advice that I can give, is to not question the teaching methods, as the professors there are not open for critiques. Additionally, the English level of the Turkish students is not as advanced as in our faculty and that could be challenging in group-projects.
Even though there are some challenges to face in Turkey, there is a lot of time to enjoy the great city, the great food and the great people. And there is always someone to reach out to if any kind of help is needed.