Berk Aydoğmuş, Business Administration, University at Albany-DEU’2023
After completing the 1st and 2nd year of Business Administration at Dokuz Eylül University, I continued my education at the University at Albany (SUNY Albany). Although the first weeks were challenging, I got used to my new school and my new environment in a short time. In my opinion, the biggest difference between the Turkish and the American system is that the American system is more student oriented. As an example, all of the courses include discussion part which makes you discuss the given topics with your classmates and very different ideas come out. The professors are all friendly and have a full knowledge of their field. Each professor has "office hours" where students can meet directly with the professor. In this way, the student not only gets to know the professor better, but also can get help in the subjects that she/he has difficulty in the course and wants to get help from.
My advice for new students is to prepare for the exams in advance, instead of working at the last minute. Unlike the Turkish system, many assignments are given and usually must be completed within a week. Otherwise, your grade will be severely broken.
The American education system attaches great importance to the socialization of students apart from the grade point average. There are hundreds of student clubs and many of them are active. By joining these communities, you can expand your network and make new friends.
There are many job opportunities on campus, but these jobs are in high demand from students. To get ahead of other candidates, it will be beneficial to keep your grade point average high and, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, to take an active role in student clubs.