My experience studying in Anadolu University

Hello, everyone! Today I would like to write everything that I have experienced while studying at Anadolu University, Turkey on Erasmus+ mobility programme. I was chosen for 2015/2016 spring semester with Erasmus+ mobility. I found out that semester starts later than in Šiauliai University, Lithuania.

Source

Semester length

In Šiauliai University spring semester starts from the beginning of February and ends at the end of June, depending on your exam schedule. Furthermore, in Anadolu University spring semester starts from the middle of February and ends before June. In both universities semester can finish sooner depends on what are the dates of your exams. Usually, semesters in Siauliai University are five months long, but in Anadolu University they made it shorter for some reasons.

About Department of Civil Engineering

Anadolu University has two campuses. One is called Yunus Emre campus and another one Iki Eylul campus. Department of Civil engineering is located in the Iki Eylul campus, other called as a campus of engineers. In this department, you can find many of the lessons in the English language. This is a good opportunity for foreign people because if you know already English you would not have any difficulties understanding the information.

Before the start of the spring semester

Choosing the courses

Before the beginning of the semester, we had a chance to change our courses. If it does not fit your schedule, you do not like the lesson, the professor is speaking just in Turkish language and for other reasons, there is the possibility to change. But in any way, Erasmus students should take a minimum of 30 ECTS credits and pass all the lessons. If they choose less or they do not pass the lessons, when they get back they must take extra courses.

Firstly, one of my Turkish friends came to help for choosing the courses. I did not know how to use the system and also he was studying for the last year of civil engineering in the same department. We have chosen these courses: engineering economics, materials of construction, concrete technology, reinforced concrete project, introduction to electrical engineering and basics of the Turkish language.

Why did I choose these lessons?

To tell the truth, I was trying to follow Siauliai University's fourth semesters course list for civil engineering. All of the lessons excluding introduction to electrical engineering was very good option for me. I was thinking that I do not need to choose introduction to electrical engineering. Why? In my point of view, a civil engineer does not need to have knowledge of electrical engineering. Of course, it is extra knowledge, but it is better to focus on civil engineering area. I took Turkish language courses because I wanted to learn the basics. I thought by taking this lesson I could do shopping and other daily things easier.

Engineering economics

What is my opinion about this lesson?

To tell the truth, at the beginning of the semester, I did not attend Engineering economics courses so often. I skipped many of them. When I started to attend the lessons I found that our lecturer is speaking in English very fluently and he is a very good person. All the lessons he was trying to make all of the information understandable for everyone.

Sometimes the lecturer was speaking in the Turkish language, probably he was explaining some important information regards this course. But it was not a problem because he was always asking if we understood everything. I could say that this courses professor is one of the best I have ever met. This lesson was quite enjoyable, not because it is easy, but because it is very understandable and the professor was excellent in teaching.

Homeworks

To tell the truth, we had just one very big homework. Firstly, the lecturer told us to split into the groups of 5 people. After we already had groups, each group was splitting the chapters of exercise book between themselves. In total, we had to find the solutions for 10 chapters. I remember, one foreigner was lucky because he got the easiest chapters that did not need to put much effort to find the solutions.

I remember I was chosen for three chapters that were important for the exams and for the main understanding. Some classmates told me that there is solution book for these chapters and it is possible to buy it. To tell the truth, everyone was just rewriting from the solutions book to the blank paper. It took less time to finish it but it was good preparation for the exams.

Midterm and Final exams

This course had two mid-term and a final exam. For example, after one month of studying people start having first mid-term exams of all the courses. Nevertheless, engineers mostly have two midterm exams and other people have just one midterm exam. I found that midterm exams are very good preparation for the final exam and you memorise everything better.

Firstly, for the first midterm exam, I did not study so much. I remember that I did not go to the lessons and I was studying the just a day before the exam. It was difficult because I had no idea what are the exercises about, and how to make the calculations. I remember I even forgot to take the calculator to the exam. To summarise, the engineering economics first midterm exam did not go very well and I got around 30 points out of 100.

Secondly, I already had experience about the first midterm exam so I was preparing more for the second midterm. I was studying quite much, but because of lack of the knowledge, I did not understand everything. Actually, it was also the first time I was studying in English language so I found it difficult from the beginning. To tell the truth, midterm exams are not that difficult as I am telling. Furthermore, the second midterm exam did not go very well but better than the first one. If I remember correctly, I got more than 40 points out of 100.

Thirdly, for the final exam, I was preparing for a longer time. I remember that I started studying one week before. In addition to this, during this week I was preparing the homework also. It helped me to prepare for the exam, to understand the questions and how to calculate. I was really stressed about the exam, but when the time has come I was very relaxed. I had a feeling that I can get a very high point.

The final exam was quite difficult, but it had one question from the midterm exams. So at least you can get some points if you solved the question in the midterm exams. To summarise, my grade from the final exam was 80 points out of 100 and I got the grade of CC.

Materials of construction

What is my opinion about this lesson?

This lesson was one of the most important for me because it is basics of civil engineering. From the very first time I liked the lecturer. He was also speaking in English fluently. However, this lesson was based on theory and it was hard to listen for hours. We had access to the course materials through the internet and sometimes we did not go to the lessons because we already had the slides. However, even if this lesson was quite boring, it was easy to memorise everything for me.

To summarise, I enjoyed having this lesson. It was understandable, not too hard, exams were not too difficult and the professor was very good.

Homeworks

To tell the truth, the homework we had in materials of construction were the most boring ever. In general, we had 3-4 homework during the semester. We had to research on some topics and write every information by hand. I wonder why this professor was making us write so many papers by hand. I remember that if I wanted to get a high grade, I had to spend more than half a day just writing by hand, excluding time spent on research. However, even if the homework took a long time to prepare, but they were useful in the quizzes and final exams.

Laboratory lessons

To begin with, we had laboratory lessons once per week after the first midterm exam. We were going to our department's laboratories to learn how is concrete made. We have also learnt what kind of tests are used for determining fresh and hardened concrete properties, how to estimate concrete mixing design and many other topics.

I found these laboratory lessons interesting and useful. I was curious about what our teacher is teaching us. He was making it simple and understandable, so it was not difficult. Furthermore, after laboratory lessons we always had to do research on the topic we were learning in that time.

Midterm and Final exams

To begin, the first midterm exam was not that difficult. For example, for the first midterm you have to learn all topics until the exam, and for the second midterm, you have to learn the topics that were after the first midterm until the second midterm exam. On the final exam, all the topics are included. This type of system makes midterm exams easier if you understood the topics.

Topics for the first midterm exam were very easy, so I did not find the exam difficult. During the first midterm exam week, it was just beginning of Erasmus mobility and I did not felt that I want to study so much. But the grade was a little bit lower than normal, but I did not count that as a problem. From the first midterm exam, I got 65 points out of 100.

Secondly, the second midterm exam was more difficult. I remember we had quite difficult topics which had a lot of pages to read. Preparing for the exam was not that difficult, but the most difficult thing was to memorise all the information. Some of the laboratory lesson information and calculations were included in this exam. Calculations were more difficult than we were doing in the class, but at least you can do the calculations for the beginning. From the second midterm exam, I got 57 points out of 100.

Thirdly, I have found the final exam very difficult. Most important topics and difficult calculations were included. I remember I did not solve the calculations because I did not expect that type of calculations and I did not understand how to do it. So I had to skip one question and to stick to the others. There was one question from the second midterm exam, so for sure I got more points. To summarise, from the final exam I got 62 points out of 100.

Concrete technology

What is my opinion about this lesson?

To begin with, materials of construction and concrete technology lessons were very similar in some topics. I remember that sometimes the questions in the quizzes or in the midterm exams were similar, but of course not all of the questions. I found this lesson more interesting than the materials of construction.

Even if it was more difficult and you had more theory on this lesson, it was more enjoyable. It was interesting to listen because all of the topics were useful if you are going to focus in this area. We were learning how to detect fresh and hardened concrete problems and solve them, which are useful in a construction site. To summarise, this lesson was interesting and useful.

Homeworks

We had just very few homework which was not too difficult. It was the same with the materials of construction lesson, we had to write our homework by hand. But they were not too difficult because all of the information you can find on the net. I remember I was trying to avoid researching on the most common pages because many people were doing like that. I wanted that my homework would be different from others.

Midterm and Final exams

To begin with, first and second midterm exams were not too difficult. I remember that the topics were very similar to materials of construction topics, so while I was studying for one lesson, I was preparing for another also. The grades were approximate to the material of construction exams.

Moreover, the final exam was difficult for everyone. We also had some calculations that were more difficult than of the materials of construction. I found out that very fewer people did not solve them. But in general, my grade was better than the most of the students in this class. From the final exam, I got the same point as from the materials of construction. I remember that I attended just one short exam out of three, so my grade was little lower - CC.

Reinforced concrete project

What is my opinion about this course?

To tell the truth, Reinforced concrete project was one of the easiest courses I have chosen. Before taking this course you must have Reinforced concrete lesson before. But as Erasmus student, I did not need this. Many Turkish students told me that this lesson is quite easy. I did not attend many of the lessons, but I did not lose much. The teacher was very easy on me, he tried to explain everything and help me.

What I did not like about this lesson was that professor was speaking mostly in the Turkish language. He was coming to me to explain the information and how to use the programme in English, but for a shorter time. But he did a good job because he was giving me just summarised information. To summarise, I found this lesson quite interesting and enjoyable.

Projects, midterm exams and the final exam

To begin with, our midterm exams were joined to project. Instead of going to the exam, we had to prepare projects. For example, the professor gives you architectural plan and you must draw most suitable beam and column variations. Later, you must calculate the loads and concrete amounts used in your drawing. All the time we were learning how to use IdeCad programme. By the way, it was quite difficult to find the programme in the English language, because it is Turkish.

Projects were not too difficult because I already knew how to use the programme. I remember I taught myself how to use it, mostly the functions. In general, we had 3 projects to do. The final exam also consisted of a project, but we had to do in the classroom. The teacher gave us the architectural drawings and we had just a little time to do them. The final exam was strict because lecturer had notes in which you can find the distribution of points. I remember I got a better grade than other Turkish students and I was quite pleased with myself. From this lesson, I got the total grade of BB.

Turkish language (A1 level)

What is my opinion about this lesson?

I have chosen this lesson because I wanted to adopt to the Turkey and I thought by learning the basics I can apply my language skills in daily life. In my opinion, it is a very good step to start with being in a country where people speak English less. You can apply your knowledge when you are doing shopping, ordering food from the restaurant and for daily understanding.

From the very first lesson our lecturer was amazing. He was showing a big interest in Erasmus students and he wanted to get familiar with every person in the classroom. The professor was giving information understandable and always repeating that we would not forget. I remember, that he told us not to hesitate and apply the very first basics in our daily lives. This lesson was very enjoyable and useful. Even if it were just the basics of the Turkish language, but we learnt more than the basics. I suggest doing the same, if you are doing Erasmus+ mobility in a country which does not speak in your native or English language, take the language courses which will be very helpful.

Homeworks

We had a lot of homework from this lesson. The very first one, as far as I remember, was to make a video. The video was about introducing to each other, for asking the name and how old is the person you are talking to. We were watching all the videos in the classroom and it was interesting to listen how other people performed in this homework.

By the way, if we did not want to do the homework, we agreed that we put money in our temporary bank and on the very last lesson we would spend this money in the restaurant. This agreement was for the goodbye lunch for the professor and us. I can admit, that it was a good idea.

Nevertheless, other homework were according to the topics of the Turkish language lesson. We had to use suffixes and inflect them, write sentences and use them in daily life, to record another video while ordering in a restaurant and so many others. We had a lot, but for sure, they were very useful.

Midterm and the final exams

Firstly, the midterm exam was very easy because the topics were common. I did not find it difficult and I got 80 points out of 100. The final exam was also not so hard but somehow I screwed up myself. I remember I was studying for quite long time and I knew topics very well. Our professor tried to make exams easy for us because he did not want to give Erasmus students bad grades. But of course, everything depends on you and he can not give a good grade if you did not write well. After the exam, I found my grade and it was just 67 points out of 100!

After that, I went to speak directly to my professor and to find out what were the mistakes. He told me that I gave absurd answers and he gave me even higher point than it should be. Even if I wrote badly, but I applied the grammar rules correctly. I could say one very big thanks to my teacher for his understanding and generosity :)

Introduction to Electrical Engineering

What is my opinion about this lesson?

As I mentioned before, this lesson was not useful for civil engineering studies. I have chosen it just because it was my study programme in Siauliai University. To tell the truth, choosing this lesson here was one of my biggest mistakes! If I remember correctly, this lesson consisted of 7. 5 ECTS credits.

I found this course very, very difficult. We had one professor and three assistants who were giving the lessons. To understand the information given was almost impossible, at least for me, because the teacher was explaining very important issues in the Turkish language. Even if we were writing the solutions on the blackboard, students could not speak in technical English language. So all they had left, to explain everything in Turkish.

After some time I have found out that this lesson is easy because it is just an introduction. But not with this professor. Why? All of the people I have asked about the professor, they told me he is the toughest professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. After he started giving this lecture, the lesson became a few times more difficult. Next time make sure that you would listen to your Erasmus coordinator and maybe not to take a lesson from the other department. In my opinion, firstly you should find out everything about the lesson and the professor who is giving the lecture, then to decide rather take it or not.

Midterm and the final exams

To begin with, the first and second midterm exams were totally non sense for me. One of the reasons were that I did not like this lecture and I could not understand the information. I remember I just wanted to pass and to keep my head clean from this lesson.

Moreover, the final exam was a real challenge to everyone. To tell the truth, my mentor is an electrical engineer and I tried to study with her. She was explaining me everything and we were solving all of the exercises we can. Furthermore, I have failed the exam and the only option was left for me, was to take a make-up exam in June.

After the failure, I was trying to study even more. I was very worried about this lesson because we have upcoming student rotary system in universities of Lithuania. Student rotary system means the distribution of study financial places between the students according to their grades. However, if you fail an exam, you also lose your financial place. I thought I am going to pass because I was feeling prepared myself.

During the make-up exam, I was shocked. The exercises were like making students fail on purpose. Even some of the professors told me that nobody likes the make-up exams here because of abusing this opportunity. Those exercises in the make-up exams were very hard to solve. To tell the truth, we did not solve them so much in the classroom. After the publication of the make-up exam exercises, my mentor wrote me and she just told sorry that this professor is such a difficult person. It was even hard for my mentor to solve these exercises. Finally, I have found out that I have failed the make-up exam. But after this, everything solved out in my university.

Laboratory lessons

I would like to mention that I did not know that this lesson has laboratory practice. I did not read the description of this lesson when I was choosing it. I found out this when we were in the middle of our semester. Unfortunately it was too late to attend the laboratory lessons from beginning and it was not possible to take any of them.

Suggestions for future Erasmus students of Anadolu University, Eskisehir

Firstly, when you are choosing your courses make sure you meet your Erasmus coordinator and ask about these lessons you want to take. I am sure that he or she will help you and you will find the best option for you. Moreover, send your course list to your sending unviversity and ask about their opinion.

Secondly, make sure that you are choosing correct lessons, that are according to your study programme. For some universities, they do not matter if the courses are appropriate to your studdy programe or not, they do not accept it. I had some friends that had this situation and they did not choose many lessons. In my opinion, if you have rules like this in your university, take the social area lessons or lessons that can be useful. In any way, you would not loose anything, because after Erasmus mobility period you will have to take exams in your university.

Thirdly, when the lessons have just started, make sure you speak with your classmates and professor. They can give you very useful information and it ensures that you would not have any akward situations in the future.

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