Erasmus Experience in Istanbul, Turkey by Inga

Why did you choose to go to Istanbul, Turkey?

I think that Istanbul is a really interesting city as it has both really modern and more traditional elements and a lot of friends who were there liked it a lot.

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

I received a scholarship for 5 months, so 1 Semester. I got 220 euro per month.

What is the student lifestyle like in Istanbul?

It is simply great! It is a huge city so there are things going on everyday and you can just pick what you feel like...theater plays, exhibitions, festivals, concerts, parties and a lot more. at the end of the semester every university even organizes its own festival where you can get to know students from other universities. on top of that, different organisations offer trips for students around Turkey, which is a bit commercial, mass-tourism like but nevertheless a good opportunity to get to know other parts of Turkey (also cheap and easy to do it by yourself)

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

I would definetely recommend the city, I have already travelled quite lot but Istanbul is my absolute favourite so far! The atmosphere is great, it is very dynamic and everywhere happens something new. You have great architecture there and from almost everywhere you can see the beautiful bosphorus river. What I liked most is that Istanbul has so many different faces. You can eat fresh fish in a village at the black sea in the morning, have a coffee at Starbucks in a fancy neighborhood at the bosphorus, buy vegetables at a traditional food market where most women are fully covered, have dinner in a workers´ neighborhood with small and colourful houses and spend your night on one of the roof top terraces, listening to whatever kind of music you like.

What is the food like?

You have a lot of choice from cheap fast-food restaurants, to Turkish and international food at different prices. A lot of restaurants are really good and not too expensive. For vegetarians it is sometimes hard to find something (except salad) but not impossible.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Istanbul?

It is very easy to find something via an agency but you can also find something relatively easy on your own, just ask around and use the Internet.

How much does it cost to live in Istanbul?

I would say between 200 and 400 euro per month, depending on where and how you want to stay.

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

Personally, I found it very hard to learn the language as it is very different from Roman languages but a lot of universities and private organisations offer language courses. it is definetly helpful to learn at least a bit, as people welcome your efforts a lot.

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

Most popular is the area around Taksim, Kadiköy is a bit more alternative and student-like, the clubs at the bosphorus are quite fancy and expensive

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I think you can visit one every day of your stay, just look at one of the travel planners and check out the Internet (also for pages such as: off-the-beaten-tracks, alternative Istanbul, secret tips....to find a bit less-touristic sites) Personally, I liked Fatih a lot, there you have the old city walls you can climb on and the Chora church.

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

I heard that some students are a bit worrying about their safety as they heard about the protests a few months ago. I think that you do not have to worry about that, I lived only a few minutes from the main protests and it was nevertheless easy to circumvent them. besides, the majority of the protesters were really caring and would help you to find your way out of that. and another tip: try to enjoy every day you are there, to go to new places as much as you can and to get to know a lot of Turkish people. it will be over a lot faster than you think (even it is likely that you come back ;) !