Tuğba Güven
Tuğba is doing her master's degree in 'European and International Affairs' at the Turkish-German University in Istanbul. After completing her bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations, she worked for a private company for two years.
Why did you decide to study?
Turkey is surrounded by various conflicts, fights and wars. When I became aware of this, I wanted to understand why this is the case, why states behave in a certain way.
How would you describe the 'stereotypical' Turkish student?
In Turkey, a bachelor's degree is almost a must, which is why a lot of young people study, so there is no such thing as a typical student. At university you meet many different people from different cities, cultures and with different social backgrounds. I love this cultural diversity.
How do students live in Turkey?
Most young people go to other cities to study as the good universities are mainly in big cities. This is why many students live in dormitories or shared apartments. When I moved to Istanbul, I lived in a dormitory for a while before moving into a shared apartment.
What do you like most about living in a shared apartment?
My roommate works and is doing her master's at the same time. During the exam period, our living room turns into a library and after a few days we always seem like sleepless zombies living solely on coffee and chocolate. It's always very funny, but also very hard.
Did you study abroad for a semester?
Yes, I spent a wonderful semester in Bonn as an Erasmus student. The first thing I noticed at university was that students in Germany are expected to actively participate in events. It's different in Turkey, where students tend to listen to the lecturers and take notes. I found the German method more difficult, but also better.
What have you always wanted to say to other students?
Enjoy every minute of student life and don't rush into the world of work.
Merve Ertal
Merve is studying economics in Istanbul, but she is currently doing an internship in Bielefeld. Before that, she studied in Bamberg for a semester.
Why did you decide to spend a semester abroad in Germany?
I went to Germany for the first time seven years ago to vacation here. Back then, I fell in love with the country and the cities I saw and vowed that I would come to Germany for a long time. Here we go.
How would you describe the 'stereotypical' German student?
German students are so organized, so straightforward. They know what to do and, above all, when. You study a lot, but you also know how to have fun.
How do you think German and Turkish universities differ?
In Turkey everything is complicated and disorganized. In Germany everything has its order, its rules and I think that's better. However, communicating with professors is much easier in Turkey than in Germany.
You lived in a shared apartment in Bamberg, what was that like?
All in all very good. But once I had a party there and fell asleep before I cleaned up. The next morning I had to go to university early and the apartment still looked pretty chaotic. On my way out of the apartment, a girl and her mother passed me and then I remembered that my new roommate was moving in that day. I had totally forgotten that. When she saw the apartment, she was shocked. Nevertheless, we got along very well afterwards.
What do you do to distract yourself from college?
It's not difficult for me to distract myself from university: I go to festivals or parties, go on city trips with friends or travel. There are just so many fascinating places in Germany.
Where would you like to travel to someday?
To Italy, to all Italian cities. I've never been there, but I love the history of the country. Although I can't imagine living in Italy, I would love to go on holiday there and will definitely do so one day.
How do you organize your semester abroad in Turkey? You can find tips from applying to finding accommodation here.
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Tuğba Güven Tuğba is doing her master's degree in 'European and International Affairs' at the Turkish-German University in Istanbul. After completing her bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations, she worked for a private company for two years. Why did you decide to study? Turkey is surrounded by various conflicts, fights and wars.
