Discovering AGU from an International student perspective

How did I hear about AGU?

I was searching for universities in Turkey in which the education was completely in English. The name of Abdullah Gül University popped up. I opened the university website and found out that its education was 100% in English. Also, the tuition fee of the university was quite affordable. It was a new university with very few departments. The department that I wanted to go to, Mechanical Engineering was there but the university quota for accepting international students in that department was only 4. Therefore, without any hopes, I just randomly applied to the university and within 2 days, to my surprise, I got accepted to that university.

Why did I decide to go to AGU?

Going to AGU was a hard decision for me to make. AGU was a new university that was accepting international students for the first time in the year to which I applied. I had never heard about that university before. In Turkey, I was only familiar with the big and popular universities like Middle East Technical University and Istanbul Technical University. When I got accepted to AGU, within a few days I got accepted to another university which was located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was one of the best universities in Malaysia named as University of Malaya. My father wanted me to go to Malaysia but I preferred to go to Turkey because I met the head of the international office of AGU in an educational fair in my city. I found that AGU had a lot of opportunities for its students and its student to teacher ratio was also quite low. I thought if I go to that university, it will be very easy for me to adjust there. Also, I wanted to go to Turkey because it was close to Europe and I thought that if I go to Turkey, I may get the chance to visit some European countries. Hence, after a lot of discussions and hard decisions, I got to go to Turkey and study at AGU.

What was my first impression of AGU when I joined it?

When I came to AGU for the first time, I was really impressed by the university's infrastructure. The university buildings and the infrastructure were brand new. I really liked the way that the classrooms and other sections of the university were designed. Also, I was living in the university dormitory. The dorms were beautifully designed. The constraint place in which they were located was very nice as well. There were basketball courts there and nearby, we could also find some manual machines for exercising. When I arrived in Kayseri (the city in which AGU is located) for the first time, someone working at the International office of AGU picked me up from the airport and dropped me to my dorms. There I met the head of International office whom I had met before back in my country in the educational fair. He helped me with all my dormitory paperwork and helped me get settled in my dorms. I found him to be very nice. Also on the same day, I went out for dinner with him and some of the other new International students. It was very nice. Within a few days, I started to feel at home there.

(Photos are taken from the internet)

Did I ever feel like that I don't belong in Turkey?

In Turkey, I never felt like I don't belong there. My arrival in Turkey was very smooth by the help of AGU International office. The city, Kayseri, almost looked like the capital city of my country. It had many similarities. The thing that was quite different was the Turkish food. The first time I tried the Turkish food, I didn't like it because I wasn't familiar with its taste. I missed the food of my country a lot but within a few weeks, I started to get used to the Turkish food and eventually like it. Another thing that was strange for me was the language barrier. Before coming to Turkey, I was told that the Turkish people hardly know English and to my surprise, people in Kayseri didn't know English at all. They only spoke their own language i. e Turkish. I didn't know any Turkish and so at the beginning of my arrival in Kayseri, It was quite hard for me to adjust in the city. However, the International office of AGU really helped me with it. Also, they helped me with all my paperwork for the Turkey residence permit and health insurance. The people of Kayseri were also very nice. I didnt know their language but they tried to help me in every way possible if I needed something or if I could not find my way to some location. Therefore, the hospitality of the Turkish people, as well as the kind and helpful nature of the International office of AGU, never made me feel like that I don't belong in Turkey.

How was the quality of education at AGU?

I found the education system of AGU to be quite amazing. The professors taught the courses very well. I really liked their teaching style. Also, the courses in my first year at AGU focused on some global challenges like poverty, global warming etc. These courses greatly enhanced my knowledge of whats going on in the world. The best thing that I liked about AGU was that if I had any problems with understanding the course content, the teachers were always available to help me with it. In the orientation week, I was told that AGU is a new university but it is also not an easy university. During the semester, I realized that the words were entirely correct. The courses were quite hard and challenging. However, with the help of the professor lecture notes and extra material on the course topics, I was able to get through the semesters pretty well. Studying at AGU greatly enhanced my knowledge of the world and my critical thinking skills.

Do I ever regret coming to AGU?

It's been 2 years since I am in AGU and there is not even a single day when I can say that I regret coming to AGU. The 2 years that I have spent in AGU are amazing. The university's infrastructure, facilities, and quality of education are really good. Also, coming to AGU proved to be quite good for me as I got the chance to go to Greece on Erasmus+ exchange program for 1 semester. The experience was unique. Coming to AGU has made me a much knowledgeable and confident person. The times that I have spent in the university and in Turkey are one of the best times of my life. Therefore, I can never say that I regret coming to AGU.