Hello Joaquin,

I got selected for a phd program at the uni in Gaziantep. Please what can you tell me about the school and the province. I am worried about its close proximity to Syria. I really wanted to go to Ankara or Izmir...Don't know how to feel about this.

d-ja chobochobo:
GREAT NEWS!AM IN! GOT MARMARA UNI FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE AND IR. Anyone who knows how good Marmara is? And anyone els with great news? Plz share.

are u from nigeria?

That is one of the best universities here and I have visited Gaziantep twice. It is a great city. Infact, the fourth most popular city in Turkey after Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. I have lots of friends there in that university. It is perfectly english also so you have no issues. It is a major economic hub for Turkey, very modern and has lots of ancient history and sites as well making it a big tourist destination. Its proximity to Syria could never be an issue to you.

Veneka: Hello Joaquin,

I got selected for a phd program at the uni in Gaziantep. Please what can you tell me about the school and the province. I am worried about its close proximity to Syria. I really wanted to go to Ankara or Izmir...Don't know how to feel about this.

No nigerian has been selected yet....

I keep emphasizing this, I DO NOT respond to PM's but I will always read them and try to answer your questions here instead. So, you may as well just post your private messages here to for the benefit of others in your dilemma. I get mails from some of u asking me to make a decision for you as to if to come (when selected) and/or are torn between choosing to leave either your current academic or Job pursuits. Firstly, I am NOT in the position to make a solid decision for anyone but I can only do my best to share my personal experience or rather, thoughts and facts that can only GUIDE you in making YOUR decisions by YOURSELF. But trust me on one thing, I very much understand the crossroads position you are in (particularly the masters and PhD students) to make a decision like this. I was once there before but everyone's situation is different. Mine, I weighed my options, basically as a Masters student of International Relations knowing I needed the exposure amongst other personal reasons, I realized I had nothing solid keeping me back in Nigeria, so I smiled willingly at this opportunity and I must say I do not regret. It maybe a different story for you as I have seen some people here come and return due to family or personal situations.
Now, you guys coming are way luckier than during my time. You now have your airfare to Turkey, to and fro(after the completion of your studies) paid for. I had to pay mine here though it was not difficult for me as I am blessed to have. Also, they have just increased(almost 100%) the monthly payment for your upkeep. I was ok before the increase, so imagine it now with the increase. Along with your entire school fees and Dormitory accomodation paid for, you are basically paying absolutely nothing to study here. Infact, nothing. In the dormitories your meals are also discounted as you recieve money, every single day (about 6TL) to make your meals cheaper. However this money is not in the form of cash but meal tickets persay and must be used before the end of the day, thus cannot be accumulated. Now, according to the increase, Undergrads are now paid 550TL per month, masters 750TL and Phd 1000TL. Now, I will not advice anyone (a natural mistake you will continue to make even when you get here) to convert the TL to NGN in order to compare prices because standard of living is very different everywhere especially in Europe but if u must, feel free to convert 9as you will still do it anyways, lol) so you may have an idea what those prices amount to. Yes, money is never enough and ofcourse, the pay could be better (and they increase it every year), but what I can say is this is enough to keep you going month by month if you are devoid of a frivolous lifestyle. It is even possible to save every month, though not much, but definitely something substanstial. Again, this all depends on how you live. Speaking now and mostly to the Masters and Phd students, based on personal experience, It will be a bit tasking to stay in the dormitories as you have to share rooms with people of different backgrounds regardless of age or anything(although rumor has it now that they are currently working on an option now to favor masters and phd students who are adults and need private space by giving them a part payment of the dormitory scholarship in order to stay in apartments though I cannot confirm this). However, it is advised you spend your first year in the dormitories as this is the fastest way for you to relate with the Turkish students and learn the language, afterall that is what you will be doing for your first year here anyways.
Trasnsportation is cheap and fair. Luckily, those who end up in Istanbul do not pay a dime for transportation as one of the big banks in Turkey opted to take care of that for Istanbul scholarship students. So they move around free as much as they want to anywhere within Istanbul at no cost at all. Unfortunately we in Ankara and other places are not that lucky to have that. But anyways, transportation is not expensive at all. Very affordable. With high speed trains and Buses.
Now, clothes, shoes and stuff like that are Cheap. This is what Turkey is known for. Great quality and ridiculously cheap. This is why when you get to Istanbul you will see lots of Ibo traders there buying and shipping textiles and things of that nature. I just got back from the states a few days ago and realized that the prices are incomparable. So, this is a good thing.
As for getting jobs, NO, you are not legally allowed to get jobs as a student. However, some language talented people manage to easily find English-Turkish Language instructor jobs in private homes and get paid very well for it. Some manage to get menial jobs during the summer and make a lot of money. There is nothing illegal with that. It all depends on where you find and the agreement you make with the people who give you these 'jobs'.
To the best of my knowledge, I think I have shared all I can with those would be candidates trying to decide. I cannot decide for anyone. It is up to you. Everyone's situation and experiences that informs our lifestyles and judgements are and would always be different. Gooooooooooood Luck!

@Joaquin64: May the good God keep remembering your good deeds and repay you accordingly. We are still expecting the success mails here in Nigeria anyway. But please, I'll like some more clarification on visa fees as part of the requirement to be taken to the embassy. Thanks and nice day bro.

I paid no visa fees whatsoever. I am pretty sure the same will apply to the selected as well...

koleefem05: @Joaquin64: May the good God keep remembering your good deeds and repay you accordingly. We are still expecting the success mails here in Nigeria anyway. But please, I'll like some more clarification on visa fees as part of the requirement to be taken to the embassy. Thanks and nice day bro.

d-ja chobochobo:
GREAT NEWS!AM IN! GOT MARMARA UNI FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE AND IR. Anyone who knows how good Marmara is? And anyone els with great news? Plz share.

Congrats. Bro! I'm so happy for you!

trent9002:
Congrats. Bro! I'm so happy for you!

ours is on the way.....

joaquin64: That is one of the best universities here and I have visited Gaziantep twice. It is a great city. Infact, the fourth most popular city in Turkey after Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. I have lots of friends there in that university. It is perfectly english also so you have no issues. It is a major economic hub for Turkey, very modern and has lots of ancient history and sites as well making it a big tourist destination. Its proximity to Syria could never be an issue to you.

Thank you very much.

All thanks to God. I got a mail yester-night as to the success of my scholarship. As anyone else from Nigeria gotten the mail cos i'm from Nigeria..a Masters applicant. Please,let me know who else from Nigeria has gotten d mail.
@ Joaquin, please i was admitted into KOCAELI UNIVERSITY, what can u tell me about it pls? Cos i need viable information about the school.

blesh_zie: All thanks to God. I got a mail yester-night as to the success of my scholarship. As anyone else from Nigeria gotten the mail cos i'm from Nigeria..a Masters applicant. Please,let me know who else from Nigeria has gotten d mail.
@ Joaquin, please i was admitted into KOCAELI UNIVERSITY, what can u tell me about it pls? Cos i need viable information about the school.

congratulations dear....as 4 me am stil waitin..also pls wia did u find d email,is it in ur inbox or spam box?

osram: congratulations dear....as 4 me am stil waitin..also pls wia did u find d email,is it in ur inbox or spam box?

In his Spam box, lol.

Hi Am ethiopian and have no answer yet does any one knows when Pls for Ethiopians.

Congratulations @blesh_zie happy for you. Please at what time did u receive the mail.

@jouquin, thnx, plz give me any info about marmara uni? Hw guwd is it?

congratz tu u all who have been called up.............any undergraduates called yet??

Veneka: Hello Joaquin,

I got selected for a phd program at the uni in Gaziantep. Please what can you tell me about the school and the province. I am worried about its close proximity to Syria. I really wanted to go to Ankara or Izmir...Don't know how to feel about this.

where are u from?

chuquiz:
where are u from?

I am Nigerian. @ Joaquin, please I would like to get some more information about Gaziantep. I'd like to know general prices for rent in that area, cos like you rightfully mentioned, I doubt I'd want to stay in the dorms. Also I am having a hard time getting comprehensive information from the school website, how do I find the contact information for their international student department?

Thanks again for your assistance.

Hello Joaquin,

Please I need your assistance urgently. Based on my research, I find that the major that I have been assigned to might not be taught in English, please can you help me confirm that?

sir i want to ask you somethng....sir i am from pakistan and i have got turkey scholarship ...i got hacettepe university in the department of nuclear power engineering at undergraduate level....so what should i do??/ do u have any suggestion?im very confused....

i didnt sign the scholarship contract yet....need some guidance and information......will u help me on this??

So, I wasn't selected?? Holy Crap. Pretty pissed right now. LIfe goes on... Congrats to those selected tho', u don't realise how f*ckin' lucky yhu are

me too . how unlucky. .

Wasn't called either, soo ll jst focus on d gud ahead, congratz tu u all....

For those unselected, I must say I feel this very disappointment with you. Sorry. Hopefully next year will be your time or something much better may even come for you before then. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities, just like I will try and post any VIABLY CONFIRMED OPPORTUNITY like this one, for your sakes. Be sure to follow my post. Actually, there are many unbelievable ones out there but people do not share the information. Ask, ask ask and try to make applications. You have nothing to lose but a little time and a few bucks.

For the selected, welcome. Glad you made it. Many of you asking me on advice and particular information of your school,I totally understand your eagerness and anxiety or confusion right now and I would probably be on my neck asking the same things if I were in your shoes as well. But, please remember that I am just a normal student here. I cannot give you specific information about these other universities and places except if you ended up in my school and in Ankara or at least, Istanbul. But so far, none has posted that they were given my school or Ankara. Please try to go to the websites of these schools. Better yet, wait till you get here. You are not even starting these schools until next year because you will be going to the language school to learn Turkish for a year (8months or so) so you have an entire year ahead of you to even travel everywhere and visit these places. And trust me, you WILL have the ample time to do it. So, relax and get settled first. Also and very importantly, please know something about these people here and life in general, nothing is ever set in stone. Everything can be contested and fought for. You are all mature adults, so know that when you arrive, you have the opportunity to go find out about your school or town and if it is not acceptable, ask around from many others who were like you before how they got theirs changed. Fight and disturb them for it till you get it. I am not saying for sure or 100 percent of the time you get what you want, but I am letting you know decisions get reverted for the better if you inquire and follow due process. You will learn when you get here (based on many of my experiences as well) that Turks have a way of telling you something is impossible, then you meet someone else in that same office who will tell you other wise and get you what you want. They are not as strict as they let on. Just push them a little bit and ask ask ask, but demand ever so politely. If you get aggressive with them, they will fight you back and that is the end. I never give up till i get what i want, but I do it politely.

So,again, good Luck guys. I am saying this to both the unselected and the selected.

Türkiye'ye hoşgeldiniz! (Welcome to Turkey).

For those who are saying they got no replies at all, Please try and go through your Spam emails. CHECK YOUR SPAM BOX!

@jaoquin64:thanks very much for your updates.Thanks to God I got into METU, PhD International Relations.My worry has to do with accomodation in Ankara as I a have a small family(a wife and a kid).Is it possible to get an apartment close to the campus that is affordable and can accomodate my small family?In that case am I to bear the entire cost?are their apartments out side campus fully furnished or I have to furnish please update,and please which university areyou?thanks and GodBless.

I think this scholarship scheme is very disorganized. I was expressly asked if I speak Turkish in the interview and I said no, then how in the world is it that I was placed in a Turkish program and not an English program (considering they do have those). I get that I am supposed to learn Turkish for a year, but trust me there is no way I can learn enough Turkish to run a full PhD program in it. And they keep saying that it is impossible to change schools. @ Joaquin, I understand what you are saying about the possibility of changing when we get there, but you have to admit that it is a gamble. If after we finish the Turkish language learning, they keep insisting that folk like me go on to study in Turkish programs, we might be forced to leave, making it a wasted year. I am quite disappointed really.

wunnam: @jaoquin64:thanks very much for your updates.Thanks to God I got into METU, PhD International Relations.My worry has to do with accomodation in Ankara as I a have a small family(a wife and a kid).Is it possible to get an apartment close to the campus that is affordable and can accomodate my small family?In that case am I to bear the entire cost?are their apartments out side campus fully furnished or I have to furnish please update,and please which university areyou?thanks and GodBless.

Nice. Welcome. We would definitely be seeing since we are doing the exact same thing in the same school. They have apartments outside school furnished and unfurnished but more expensive than in places a little farther (but still very accessible to) away from school that are very very cheap, well maintained and ridiculously big enough for your family. It all boils down to your financial capability and choice. If you can bear the distance to school, which is not so far and since you would not frequently be at school as a PhD student, then I would advice you to go for those apartments farther away from school. Then again, I dont know your financial standing so you may get here and see that the apartments closer to school can be easily afforded too. You will have to bear the entire cost, yes. Choice of getting a furnished or an unfurnished apartment is up to you. However, personal advice, since you are staying for a long time would be to get an unfurnished as it is way cheaper, furnish it yourself instead of paying that extra every month for furnishing when it can be done once and forgotten. Furnishing is quite affordable too as its their specialty in this country. Good Luck.

Veneka: I think this scholarship scheme is very disorganized. I was expressly asked if I speak Turkish in the interview and I said no, then how in the world is it that I was placed in a Turkish program and not an English program (considering they do have those). I get that I am supposed to learn Turkish for a year, but trust me there is no way I can learn enough Turkish to run a full PhD program in it. And they keep saying that it is impossible to change schools. @ Joaquin, I understand what you are saying about the possibility of changing when we get there, but you have to admit that it is a gamble. If after we finish the Turkish language learning, they keep insisting that folk like me go on to study in Turkish programs, we might be forced to leave, making it a wasted year. I am quite disappointed really.

Sorry. It is quite a gamble, yes. But I cannot help you make that decision, only assure you things can be contested. The rest is up to you. Allow me take the liberty to clarify from the school if your courses are done in english or not so as to help make your decision easier. which course is it and is it graduate or undergraduate?

@veneka. I just called the university and spoke to their Doctoral program for natural and applied sciences (took a wild guess you are of this field) and confirmed that it is 100% taught in English. Now, I would personally like you to go further and call one of the numbers on their websites to confirm this for yourself as well only problem is that they may find it difficult replying you in English but would transfer you to their international student office. I have gone as far as this to get the information directly from the horses mouth. But feel free to still post the course you are doing and visit their website in English, get a phone number from one of their staffs in your department and feel free to post it here and I would call and ask them. Cheers.