Erasmus Experience in Istanbul, Turkey by alexandra

Why did you choose to go to Istanbul, Turkey?

It was the only option available for me.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

4 months(one semester)I received 364 EURO per month.

What is the student lifestyle like in Istanbul?

It depends a lot of what are you stuyding and at what university...

Would you recommend the city and the University of Istanbul to other students?

yes.It is amazing.

What is the food like?

very very very good. fresh and tasty. and mostly healthy and tasty too

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Istanbul?

no

How much does it cost to live in Istanbul?

the rent I believe is round 250 EURO per month, but again, you can depend a lot on the conditions you require and the neighbourhood. if you search enough, you will find the perfect flat for you.I did.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

yes, there are language courses available in my university, but I didn't went because they said they will continue with what they did in the first semester. It is stange because few people speak english.for example in my university, they should speak only in english, this is what they mentioned on the website page, but in reality everybody speaks turkish, and they only tranlate to us the important things to be able to get our projects done.(I am studying interior architecture so we have plenty or visual aids but still, we need some speaking).it is difficult to find anyone else speaking english besides the students enrolled in the ESN community and the teachers....the people also know some english for commercial purposes, of course(unfortunately the taxi drivers don't!)

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Istanbul from your city?

plane(if you book the tickets in time)
the most economical way is to come by your personal car and some friends to split the fuel's cost but it is a bit too tiring to come by car/bus.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Istanbul?

there are too many options...Istiklal street is full of many options and I'm sure there are also lots of other places

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Istanbul?

no.there are too many. it depends a lot in which neighbourhood you are.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

it depends on what are you interested in. everybody knows the most popular ones like : Hagia Sofia, Sultanahmet Mosque (also known as Blue Mosque), Topkapi Pallace , Galata Tower ...

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Istanbul in the future?

you will survive even if you don't prepare everything from home