Guddi Praveen, a second year full scholarship student of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Social Work (English), stated that she is originally from Nepal Kathmandu and lives in Istanbul Üsküdar. She also expressed her pride in being a part of Istanbul Gelisim University. In addition, the decision to come to Turkey and the process of choosing the Department of Social Work (English) was shared with us.
“According to me, the most important of my reasons for coming to Turkey was that interested in the Muslim environment in Turkey. I was planning to study abroad after the 12th grade, but I did not know what to do, where to apply and in which department. Then I decided to faculty and university. One of the biggest factors in choosing Istanbul Gelisim University was that this university provided 100% English education. Therefore, it was necessary to be successful in some compulsory exams and I had this chance by being successful. In addition, for English education, I started studying at this university after successfully completing the "Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)" exam. While I was in my country, I had worked in some international non-governmental organizations and this impressed me a lot in choosing the Social Work department. I decided to choose this section because I love working for society and people and don't hesitate to do advocacy, which has become a great force.”
Stating that all faculty members and lecturers of our university are very friendly and always willing to help, Guddi Praveen continues her words that some opportunities and challenges can be found together as an international foreign student:
“Speaking of the opportunities, I can proudly say that I am a 100% scholarship student and this is the biggest opportunity for me. As an international student, I have encountered many ups and downs in my life. When I first came to Turkey in the environment, the culture, I can say I've had many new challenges like food. Because everything was new for me and trying to explore everything was tiring for me at times. In particular, I could not like the Turkish food in the dormitory where I was staying and this process was very difficult for me. But really Turks are very helpful and friendly. When I first came to Turkey I did not know Turkish. For this reason, I was having a lot of difficulty. But during this period, I got a lot of help from my Turkish roommates and teachers. Yes, being a foreign student is a great advantage for me. I learned new culture and tradition, I am embracing the new environment, I became independent, doing my job alone, without the help of my family. I also think I am lucky that I did not encounter many difficulties. However, I can admit that I am experiencing some problems with my student information system, as the lessons are conducted online due to the Covid-19 Pandemic outbreak.”
Guddi Praveen concluded her speech after making suggestions that the university could make alternative initiatives for foreign students in the education process:
“I would love to have our university organize some kind of program or some kind of refreshment camps for international students. Because I feel that sometimes our university cannot see us sufficiently because we are very few foreign students in my department. Therefore, all I want from all of you is to organize such events and organizations that will help us do our best and give the best result to our university. While adaptation processes can be more effective through such programs and organizations, I think it will be important for the education process to include courses that include some kind of field visit and practice. It is difficult to find a university where all courses are in English. But it is very impressive that Istanbul Gelisim University is giving us a good opportunity. I highly recommend the Istanbul Gelisim University for those who want to complete their university education in Turkey.”
