Dimitrie Cantemir University vs. Firat University

Idea of a comparative study

Since i am on my last month until my Erasmus mobility is finish and i will close this chapter for good, i was thinking to make like a comparative study between my home university of Dimitrie Cantemir in Romania and my host university here in Turkey. I think two semesters here are enough for developing a personal idea. I have experience making this comparative studies as i wrote a license paper all about a comparative study between cities, but that's another story. My time spent at home during my university and master years was amazing i can never complain and my time spent at Firat University well, that's an experience good or bad. But let's start with beginning...

Dimitrie Cantemir University

As i go to a private university i think my years spent there and all my Erasmus experiences were a bit more easy for me than the rest of the students from other universities. Dimitrie Cantemir university in Targu Mures was the first private university in Transylvania and the second in Romania. It open it's gates in 1991 and for over 20 years has never changed it's studying fee which was a total success among young students. The university is only one building with there floors and four departments and faculties :

1. The Law Faculty
2. Geography and tourism
3. Economy
4. Psychology

And also Master departments :

• Department of Economic studies
• Banks and markets In the European context
• Business administration
• Department of Juridic Sciences
• Juridic procedure and liberal professions
• Department of Geography
• Touristic resources and environmental protection
• Department of Psychology
• Quality of Education
• Human Resources management
• Physical therapy and counseling

I graduated from Geography and tourism faculty and also from the master of touristic resources and business administration. As i said my time there was pretty easy and no stress overall. Being a geography students my 3 years were so interesting and always challenging, we did not spent time in classes and copying the black board, not at all, all of our time we were hicking and going to trips, weekend gateways and annually there was one week long excursion somewhere in the wild. This were our grades, spend outside in the caves and forests and bunch of rainy and dirty places. Maybe that's why it made it so amazing and i appreciate every single moment spend there.

The academic staff

I remember my first day in my first year, more like an orientation 2 hours when i met Mr. Mihai Voda, he is a professor doctor in geography at Cantemir and he was my department coordinator and Erasmus coordinator for the past years i spend there. He was always traveling the world up and down, from China to India to USA, he was not much in class but when he came it was the most exciting 2 hours of my life. The way he talked about his travels made me wanting to do the same and be just like him. He always accepted challenges and there are stories about him being the first Romanian to climb the second highest mountain in Africa, the Mount Kenya. Plus other stories...

All of our professors were young and they had different mentality about teaching which help us beyond words and filled notebooks. We started working with Power Point and we continue just like this from presentation to presentation. Things i learn during my 3 years made me the person i am today and in a way i may say i became like Mr. Voda, i have been and i am traveling the world as i write.

The facilities

Cantemir has 3 floors and a lower floor and my department the geography is was on the latest floor. All floor just for us with nice computer labs and big classrooms. The whole university is built with huge glasses from in a blue color. They have a killer design and is situated somehow outside the city on the road to Sighisoara ( home of Dracula ). The area surrounding the building is very green with places to sit and hang out during breaks and also like a small artificial lake with some fish inside. It's small but pretty cute and for sure is the best looking university in my city. Inside is all decorated with white marble, the floors and the staircase as well, huge window glasses and white classrooms.

The schedule

I can say that my table schedule was so easy and accessible i was more relaxed in my university years than i was in highschool. We had classes only 4 days per week and around 2 courses per day, some in the morning some in the afternoon, but in the morning starting from 10am because there are no classes before 10 am which was amazing. There were also split courses so we had between classes 2 hours usually so we could grab a bite from the inside cantin and shop.

The fee

The university fee for 1 academic year is around 600 euros and we can pay 6 times around 100 euros each time during the months of October, November, December and then February, March and April last month. And for the master is the same plan just the tax is 800 euros per year. What is cool about it that after every session if your grades are good you can get the scholarship and receive your money back for one semester. I always had scholarship so it helped me a lot but not paying.

All in all Cantemir is truly a great university even if is not so much appreciated inside my city, there is a competition with another university with is public one, Petru Maior university but i would never choose to study there, i heard stories of how you need to attend daily the classes and it's strict professors. I am a relax and chill girl i can never deal with pressure. Thanks to God i graduated and i have an amazing CV with 2 masters and i hope the best for the future and i am so proud i went to private university.

Firat University

This public university is located in the city of Elazig in South Eastern Turkey. It got the name after the Euphrates river which is passing throw the city. It was founded in 1975 and during the years it changed the name many many times. It has 16 faculties and 4 vocational schools, a state conservatory and 4 institutes.

The faculties :

1. Faculty of Veterinary
2. Faculty of Dentistry
3. Medical Faculty
4. Architecture Faculty
5. Technology
6. Sports Science
7. Fisheries Faculty
8. Technical Education
9. Communication
10. Health Science
11. Engineering
12. Theology
13. Education
14. Science
15. Economy
16. Humanity and social sciences

It's the second biggest campus in Turkey and it's huge literally, you need to take the bus around campus. It has 2 big entrees on each side of the campus. Inside the campus has a green area with a lot of trees and a lot of space. The campus has it's own ATM's, banks, restaurants and even mosques imagine that. Ah and a helicopter area as well. Plus a university hospital where all the services for the staff and students of Firat are free.

Because the city of Elazig has 0 tourism it can be pretty boring living here and especially with their educational system which i think is wrong. For example after you graduate highschool you have to pass an exam and regarding your grade you will be sent to the university chosen for you. So i have met may student who are from great cities like Antalya or Izmir and they are studying here in Elazig, not by choice. And my boyfriend Muhammet who is from Istanbul and he was sent to Trabzon, but in his case was lucky that Trabzon is one of the best cities at the Black Sea.

Even the university is great and all when the city sucks that can get a toll on you. I literally asking myself how can somebody live in this city, with no life nothing is like a dead city with some heels with no grass nothing green on them, it's like a scene from Afghanistan everytime you wake up in the morning. And not to mention lately terrorist attacks in this area.

Is hard for me to find something great about this place, don't get me wrong the university is great and all but i don't know i will not come to study here by choice, even for Erasmus i justify myself in other posts why i choose to study here again not by choice. But thumbs up for those you do like it here!

The only thing that keep me sane was the thing that my mobility had to do with the Erasmus office and spend all my time there with people who do speak English because if you read my posts about Turkey you may know by now that Turkish people do not speak any English which is sad for sure.

Pro's and Con's about each university in comparision :

Cantemir University

Pro:

Con's :

Firat University

Pro's :

Con's :

In conclusion

By far Cantemir is a winning choice in every point, i don't know but i have this mentality that if you want to have great education you may need to go private. Are different ways how a students is treated and the staff are more educated and their mentalities are more European, rather than having an old professor with Communist thinking, which trust me are many still in the educational system. So if you thinking to come to Firat University as an Erasmus student, think twice !