Mobility specification

Country:Türkiye

Institution:Social Sciences University of Ankara

City:Ankara

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts / Department of English and American Studies

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?they have tons

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?I was enrolled in 4 courses, two of which were for 5 credits and MU will accept 5, two courses were for 7 credits and MU will accept 6.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Classes here are 3 hours long and you can always agree with the teachers at the beginning of the semester on breaks - the class can start later (advantageous if it is at 8) with one break, or there can be two breaks.
At MU, Czech/Slovakian is never used in classes, except for translation. Here, students often choose Turkish, for several reasons - their knowledge of English is not sufficient, despite the fact that they are studying it, it's more comfortable for them, and some teachers don't care. The teachers are very friendly, well, except for one - I had a class with the dean of the faculty, who is very political. Other students might not have a problem with his behavior, but he was very unprofessional. Otherwise, even the subject he taught was interesting, and I was very happy with the overall selection.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?The university doesn't have that many international students - sometimes I felt like a celebrity when most of the faculty knew me by name - so the international clubs don't work here. But thanks to the international department, I knew everything I needed to know. I sent them emails regularly, which they answered promptly and provided all the information. When I arrived, they also gave me a tour of the university, told me everything I needed to know, introduced me to the student societies, etc. There are also students working here, so I got to know a few of them, and made friends. In general, I didn't feel like I was slow to integrate. All the teachers introduced me at the beginning, encouraged students to help me and were very helpful themselves. The students also invited me to events or just for coffee, as many of them had never spoken to a foreigner in their lives.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Barrier-free access to classrooms and dormitories
Special aids and technologies (e.g., text-to-speech software, hearing aids)
Special examination conditions (e.g., extended time, quiet rooms)

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:15000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?I had my own apartment (3 bedroom) which I got through sahibinden.com. I didn't use any other site.

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?I didn't have any unexpected expenses, but I was very surprised at how cheap it is to live here. Apart from accommodation, everything was incomparably cheaper than in the Czech Republic.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?I feel like I didn't have to make any effort and life was overall very cheap. The biggest part of my spending was of course the accommodation (10 000 CZK), but the utilities associated with it surprised me - water for the whole stay for 300 CZK, which was far from necessary, electricity for 55 CZK per month, and gas depending on the season (in winter for 250 CZK, from March onwards the expenses were minimal). I didn't save money on food, I went to restaurants, cafes, ordered from home, but of course I also cooked my own food. Lunch at school cost me less than 20 CZK (soup, main dish, sometimes two, salad, dessert, ayran, unlimited bottled water), in the centre you can eat for 50 CZK (the price for one is under 250 CZK). Food here is very cheap, vegetables and fruits are of better quality, so I didn't follow the discounts, but you can save money too. There is also a secondhand store on every corner, so thrift store lovers are in heaven here.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?with gestures

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Every major city has its own public transport app, for Ankara it is EGO CEP'TE. The app is not very intuitive, but if you play around with it a bit, you can find everything there. It's also a good idea to get a local card (Başkent kart), it costs about 80 CZK to set up and makes journeys cheaper (16 CZK without the card, 7 CZK with the card). The card is valid for the metro, buses and local trains (Ankaray), but you can pay everywhere with the card, it just beeps when you board. For longer journeys, Obilet is great, with buses, planes, accommodation and even car hire. For train travel there is the TCDD Taşımalıcık E-ticket app and for flights I used Pegasus Airlines and AJet.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Must see is definitely Gölbaşı, Eymir Golu, Hamamönü, Ankara Kalesi, Anıtkabir, Pursaklar, there are countless beautiful parks, cafes, hidden neighborhoods, museums, so it's impossible to list everything.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Not far from Ankara is Eskişehir, a beautiful smaller town that reminds me of a European city. Also worth visiting are cities like İstanbul, İzmir, Antalya, Trabzon, Nevşehir (Cappadocia), Marmaris... Turkey is a beautiful country, I tried to travel as much as possible and I think I succeeded. I wanted to see the cities mentioned above as well as the smaller towns around, so I 100% recommend renting a car and going somewhere, it's really worth it. Every place is completely different too and there's no comparison.

Share your best experience:I have probably two best - the first is Cappadocia in general. We stayed in a gorgeous cave suite, drove through several places (Ürgüp, Nevşehir, Ortahisar, Uçhisar, Göreme, Mustafapaşa, Derinkuyu) and there is something in each. But the best part was the hot air balloons - whether from the ground or the air, it's a breathtaking sight.
The other is Trabzon - beautiful landscape, mountains, sea, great food... Sümela manastırı is a breathtaking place, as is Uzungöl. Around there are the towns of Of, Rize, Maçka, which are also beautiful.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?yes

Where can it be arranged?It is solved on the spot. There is a clear system for processing, and the university helped me a lot - e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr

What is needed?Everything is visible in the system - application form, passport copy, accommodation confirmation, length of stay, confirmation from the university, biometric photo, health insurance (!!! It is necessary to have CZTR111 document, which is processed before departure - on hold at the office, but they sent it to me by email by the next day), confirmation of payment of the fee (about 450 CZK). Once approved, the coordinator informed me that I had to go to the immigration office where they took my fingerprints and I signed another form.

How long does it take approximately?It took about 3 weeks from submitting all the documents to obtaining the residence permit.

How did you get to the place?Plane
Train

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?I flew to Istanbul, where I stayed for a few days, and then took the train to Ankara. I definitely recommend flying all the way to Ankara, it's worth it. There are regular buses from there, both public transport and AnkaraAir, which is a direct bus. MHD costs about 60 CZK, AnkaraAir about 70 (AnkaraAir only take lira in cash).

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?I don't think I missed anything special here. I packed for both winter and summer, and I certainly didn't have a problem with clothes. I got my cosmetics here, and much cheaper than here.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?It's an unforgettable opportunity and I'd like to stay longer. Leaving is hard, but I'll be back. I highly recommend it!!