My semester at has easily been my favourite semester of my undergraduate degree. While I hadn’t originally planned to live in Istanbul, I feel so grateful to have ended up there. If I could give one piece of advice to prospective exchange applicants, it would be to keep an open mind when it comes to picking schools. You never know where you might end up!
Living in Istanbul was an incredible experience of cultural immersion. There was always something new to discover: amazing food, campus events, or a cool neighbourhood I hadn’t explored yet. Sitting between two continents, Istanbul is massive and densely populated, which was a welcome change from living in Kingston. I don’t think anyone could ever get bored in Istanbul; I only scratched the surface during my four months there.
Boğaziçi University has a beautiful campus set along the Bosphorus river. Around it are lots of cafés, restaurants, and pubs where students gather after class. The food in Türkiye is both affordable and delicious; one of my favourite activities was getting a Turkish breakfast or coffee with friends between classes. My courses were similar to those at Queen’s but had a lighter workload, leaving more time for travel and fun outside of school.
The student life at Boğaziçi is very active. As an exchange student, I got to be a part of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which was a great part of my experience. ESN organized events, dinners, trips, and parties, and through it I made many international and Turkish friends.
While in Istanbul, I got to visit several towns along Türkiye’s coast, including Bodrum and Izmir. My trip to Izmir was especially meaningful because I went with my roommate to visit her family. Staying in their home and exploring the beaches and coast made it one of my most memorable trips of my exchange.
Türkiye’s location within Europe made it harder to join my friends traveling to places like Prague or Paris, but this ended up being a blessing in disguise. Traveling less allowed me to spend weekends exploring Istanbul and truly getting to know the city. One of the most gratifying parts of living in Istanbul was that by the end, I was navigating a city of fifteen million people with ease. This has made me a more confident and self-assured person. I know that if I can handle the transit system in Istanbul, I can basically do anything!
My family and friends are still hearing about how amazing my experience was, and I doubt it will end anytime soon. To students applying or thinking of applying: you will look back on your exchange and wish you could do it all again. The life experience and cultural immersion you gain will be worth more than any classes you can take at Queen’s. I know it can be daunting, but the leap of faith is certainly worth it!
