Turkey has become one of students’ newest study abroad options, as Boston University opened two new programs there this semester.
BU undergraduates can enroll in either the Bogazici University in Istanbul or the Middle East Technical University in Ankara for a semester or an entire academic year, according to Roberta Turri, assistant director for operations and exchange in the Office of International Programs.
‘Bogazici University and Middle East Technical University offer courses in a wide array of disciplines from arts and education to engineering to the social sciences,’ Turri said.
While classes are taught in English, students must take Turkish language courses to aid their immersion into the culture.
All living arrangements are made beforehand in dormitories on one of the two campuses. However, the program is very selective, with only two students accepted to each program.
‘In return, Boston University will host two students per year from each Turkish institution,’ Turri said. ‘This is a unique opportunity for students from both countries to interact and learn more about the respective cultures.’
Turri said the program is another way for students to study the Middle East while earning credit, in addition to the Haifa Language and Liberal Arts Program in Israel, which has been available since 1987.
School of Management and College of Communication junior Linda Boulden, the general business manager of The Daily Free Press, is one of two students studying in Turkey next semester. She said she chose to study abroad in Turkey because of the opportunity to study in the culture of the Middle East.
‘I chose Turkey because it is completely different from any program I’ve looked at,’ Boulden said. ‘I’m going to be immersed in the culture of the Middle East.’
Boulden said she also looks forward to the opportunity to study a wider variety of subjects than her BU schools offer.
‘Basically I have free rein of classes I want to take there,’ Boulden said. ‘There’s everything from contemporary Turkish music to aerospace engineering. I’m looking for a diverse set of classes I wouldn’t be able to take at SMG and COM.’
One anthropology student is currently in studying in Turkey but could not be reached for comment.
Engin Basaga, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore from Turkey, said both schools are top-tier schools, adding that Middle Eastern Technical University has one of the largest campuses in the world.
‘Bogazici University and METU are both top schools,’ Basaga said.
Bogazici University is located on a hill by the Bosphorus River and the Black Sea, on the edge of downtown Istanbul. It was originally founded as Robert College in 1863 as America’s first college on foreign soil.
METU is located in a forested region right outside Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Although founded as an engineering college in 1957, it has broadened beyond engineering, Turri said.
BU students who participate are given a $2,500 scholarship, Turri said.
The program costs $14,000, which includes tuition, room and board and airfare. Because the cost of living in Turkey is so much lower than that in the United States a beer costs just 20 cents the experience is considerably cheaper than a semester at BU, Boulden said.
‘It is an experience I feel is priceless,’ Boulden said.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
