IES Abroad Istanbul Summer Turkish Language & Culture

Studied aboard in Bogacizi University, Istanbul in Summer 2015. The staffs of the program were so friendly and always available for help. Before our school started, we had trip at Ephesus, Izmir. And we had basic Turkish language lectures, and they were so useful and practical to "survive" in Turkey. Beyond the classroom, IES also conducted many workshops and walking tours to help us to embrace the local cultural, religion and history. People who are considering study aboard should try IES!

One of the best things about the program are the staff centered at your location. They drop in roughly every 10 days to see how you're doing/take you on informative walks around neighbourhoods you might otherwise not see. They're not consistently breathing down your back, which gives you time to be independent and do your own thing. Istanbul itself is beautiful, and you will NEVER run out of things to do in that country! The housing was in an amazing location - you were in a non-tourist Turkish neighbourhood, helping you really immerse more. The university was beautiful and my classes were challenging, but very interesting too. The only difficulty I encountered was adjusting to the predominantly Muslim country - especially being a girl. You have to be a little more aware about the signals you give off regarding the clothes you're wearing, but Istanbul is a big metropolis. So, while you will encounter some unfriendly people the majority of nice people who are willing to help you out make up for it!