Student review [#67775] for Economics
at Bilkent University

hey, can u tell me a little more about how strict they are and how easy it is to adapt to them? is it possible to get used to the environment as an international student?

It is strict in the sense that 1) they absolutely enforce the rules that they have for the campus life, and 2) 95% of the time, there is no flexibility in the course rules that are stated in syllabus. Another hardship that is again tied to this is that even if you get sick, and have an actual reason not to come to class or to miss an exam, if you don’t have an extreme case that is reported by university’s own health center, you may still get an FZ due to absence (if it is an attendance required course) or may not get a make-up for the exam you missed. I have had friends who missed the exam because they had been through a car accident and well, they were not given make-ups. Sure this can change with some professors, but it should help you understand how strict they are with the rules. Bilkent enforces its rules better than Turkey enforces its laws. And the courses are well, difficult. But since many courses have the curve-grading system and what is difficult for you will be difficult for everyone; you will have alright letter grades if you are not too below the class average. Despite being tough and applying the rules strictly, almost all professors in Bilkent are super helpful regarding office hours and extra questions and even guidance & supervising.
I was in shock about how stressful it was in my first year, but later on when you get to know how everything works, you definitely get used to it. As for being an international student, for sure! There are so many international students in Bilkent and as far as I have observed and talked to them, they adapted well; both socially and academically. I see so many international students as TAs as well, so don’t worry about any kind of discrimination either. You will also have no problem communicating with anyone in Bilkent since everyone knows English quite alright. They will be willing to help you with whatever you may struggle with, I can assure you. Just maybe in other parts of Ankara, language might be a bit of an issue; BUT again as far as I have observed, the Turkish classes Bilkent gives to international students (obligatory) really help! Many international students I have talked to started speaking somewhat alright Turkish from their second year on.
All announcements etc are made in English too, by the way, so you also have no problem understanding how the system works. Keep in mind since it is a private university, nobody (among the staff) here has the right to not help you. They *have to* provide you with the service of fixing your problems when you need. So I’d say go for it.